UPDATED: Nigeria’s D’Tigress crowned AfroBasket Champions again, clinch fifth consecutive title

Nigeria women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, extended their remarkable reign on the continent by defeating Mali 78–64 in the final of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship, claiming their fifth consecutive title and seventh overall.

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

The victory, recorded on Sunday night at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, also marked their 29th straight win in the competition—an unbeaten streak that dates back to the third-place game of the 2015 tournament in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

No team has ever won five consecutive titles like D’Tigress. Once again, the green and white stood tallest in Africa. The crown didn’t tremble. It returned.

Slow start

Though Nigeria trailed 21–26 at the end of the first quarter, they showed calm and class in equal measure. Mali had come into the final looking to avenge previous losses and began the game with high intensity, led by the sharp play of Sika Koné and Amina Dembele.

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

But Nigeria stayed composed, with Murjanatu Musa scoring to break the early drought and Victoria Macaulay offering solid contributions off the bench to steady the ship.

By halftime, D’Tigress had rallied to level the scores at 41–41, largely thanks to the scoring duo of Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu.

Kalu was in control like a maestro, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while Okonkwo led the charge with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists in nearly 40 minutes of brilliance.

Promise Amukamara and Victoria Macaulay also chipped in, while Musa added nine important points and four rebounds in a game that saw Nigeria’s depth come into play once again. Macaulay and Musa combined for 22 points and 10 rebounds, anchoring both ends of the floor.

Game-changer

The third quarter proved decisive as Nigeria turned up the heat defensively and outscored Mali 20–15.

A key three-point play from Okonkwo reestablished Nigeria’s control, and Kalu’s sharp decision-making kept the team composed as they edged ahead.

By the start of the fourth quarter, D’Tigress led 61–56 and they never looked back. Their energy and execution in the closing minutes sealed the win, finishing the match on a commanding 17–8 run that underlined their dominance. They didn’t just win — they imposed.

Following her standout display throughout the tournament and particularly in the final, Amy Okonkwo was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) just like 2023 and was also selected in the Tournament’s Best V, a fitting reward for her all-round brilliance and leadership on the court.

With the win, Nigeria have now secured the AfroBasket title in 2003, 2005, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, and now 2025.

Head Coach Rena Wakama, who made history in 2023 as the first female to lead the team to a title, added another trophy to her growing legacy.

Her calm presence on the sidelines and tactical decisions throughout the tournament were key in guiding a young and dynamic squad through intense competition.

Presidential commendation

President Bola Tinubu, having commended the team for their consistent excellence ahead of the final, was quick to congratulate D’Tigress after securing the title.

“You did it, girls! @DtigressNG

“Superb performance to become 5x consecutive Champions of Africa and seventh overall.

“Well done, Coach Rena and the team.

“You have made Nigeria proud. I am expecting you all, along with the trophy.” a short statement on President Tinubu’s X Page on Sunday read.

You did it, girls! @DtigressNG

Superb performance to become 5x consecutive Champions of Africa and seventh overall.

Well done, Coach Rena and the team.

You have made Nigeria proud. I am expecting you all, along with the trophy.#MissionV – Done & Dusted

~ PBAT pic.twitter.com/k874g4viFB

— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) August 3, 2025

Road to the title

The win over Mali came just 24 hours after D’Tigress edged out archrivals Senegal in a tense semifinal clash that many dubbed the “final before the final.”

READ ALSO: Dolphins reign supreme again at D.K. Olukoya Women’s Basketball Championship

Before then, D’Tigress had crushed Rwanda and scraped past Mozambique in the group phase before ripping Cameroon’s Lionesses apart in the quarter final.

That victory secured Nigeria’s place in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments and showed once more that, when tested, D’Tigress always find a way to rise.