ABIDJAN — Nigeria’s women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, has secured their place in the 2025 Women’s Afrobasket final for the fifth time in a row, following a hard-fought 75-68 victory over Senegal.
The semifinal match, held at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, was a tense affair, with Senegal mounting a significant comeback in the third quarter.
Led by Cierra Dillard, who finished with an impressive 26 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, Senegal outscored Nigeria 21-9 in that period, narrowing the deficit.
However, the D’Tigress managed to regain control in the final minutes.
Ezinne Kalu, who contributed 19 points to the score, was instrumental in their comeback, scoring a crucial two-pointer after a steal from Senegal’s Lena Timera.
A subsequent hook shot from Victory Macaulay gave Nigeria a decisive 69-66 lead.
Nigeria sealed their win by dominating the final three minutes of play, outscoring Senegal 10-3 and extending their remarkable unbeaten streak in the competition to 28 games. Their last loss was in 2015 against Angola.
With the victory, D’Tigress has set up a final clash against Mali, which earned its spot in the championship game by overpowering South Sudan in the other semifinal.
