Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, booked their place in a fifth consecutive AfroBasket final after a hard-fought 75-68 win over Senegal on Saturday night at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
D’Tigress started strong, taking the first quarter 22-17 and narrowly edging the second 21-20. But Senegal responded powerfully after the break, dominating the third quarter 21-9 to head into the final period with a 58-52 lead.
However, the Nigerian ladies staged a brilliant comeback in the fourth quarter, outscoring Senegal 23-10 to seal the victory.
Both teams made tactical adjustments throughout the match, using their time-outs wisely. Coach Rena Wakama, praised for her calm presence and smart leadership, led Nigeria past her counterpart, former D’Tigress coach Otis Hughley Jr., now in charge of Senegal.
Senegal’s Cierra Dillard was the top performer of the game, scoring 26 points and recording 27 efficiency points. Nigeria’s Ezinne Kalu led the scoring for the defending champions with 19 points, while Amy Okonkwo made valuable contributions. Cierra Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah and Dillard both finished with a game-high seven rebounds.
The match was officiated by Chueca Artadina (Spain), Zouzou Nadaye (Ivory Coast), and Ahmed Aya Khaled (Egypt), with Olinga Joy Abooki serving as the Match Commissioner.
With this result, Nigeria now lead head-to-head against Senegal in AfroBasket history, with 10 wins from 15 meetings. The D’Tigress have now beaten Senegal in key games over recent years, including the 2017 and 2019 finals, the 2021 semifinal, the 2023 final, and the 2024 Olympic Qualifiers.
How the semifinalists got here:
•Senegal beat hosts Ivory Coast 66-60
•Nigeria thrashed Cameroon 83-47
•Mali overcame Mozambique 86-68
•South Sudan edged Uganda 69-68
Later tonight, Mali will face South Sudan in the second semifinal at 10:00pm. On Sunday, Senegal will play in the third-place game at 3:30pm, while Nigeria will contest the final at 7:00pm.
All four semifinalists – Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, and South Sudan – have booked their spots at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany, taking place from 4–13 September 2026.
They will join 24 other qualified teams from across the world, including:
•Americas: USA, Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico, Colombia
•Asia & Oceania: China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, New Zealand, Australia
•Europe: Germany (hosts), Czech Republic, Hungary, Belgium, France, Italy, Turkey.
