Nigerian sportswomen have further distinguished themselves as the the female basketball team, D’Tigress, have been crowned champions of the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket after defeating Mali in the final.
This came just about a week the Super Falcons spectacularly won the FIFA Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The proximity of the feats may be an indication that the country’s sportsmen must quicken their wit especially in their upcoming competitions.
The Rena Wakama-led Tigresses clinched the title on Sunday at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
With the win, Nigeria made history as the first country to win five consecutive Women’s Afrobasket championships, further cementing their dominance on the continent.
They also remain unbeaten in the tournament for a decade.
The last time D’Tigress lost an Afrobasket game was on October 2, 2015, against Cameroon.
Sunday’s final was a tale of two halves. Mali took a 26–21 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Nigeria fought back to level the scores at 41–41 by halftime.
A strong third quarter saw D’Tigress pull ahead, leading 61–56 by the buzzer.
In the final quarter, the Nigerian team stepped up defensively, limiting Mali to just eight points and sealing a 14-point victory.
The win follows a hard-fought semi-final against Senegal, where D’Tigress needed a spirited fourth-quarter performance to secure a narrow victory.
Coach Wakama now has two titles in two attempts, having led the team to victory in 2023 as the first woman to coach a team to Afrobasket glory.
