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By Oscar Okhifo
Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, have once again stamped their authority on the continent by winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship, defeating Mali 78–64 in the final to claim a historic fifth consecutive title.
The victory marks their seventh AfroBasket crown overall and sets a new record as the first African women’s team to win five back-to-back titles (2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025).
D’Tigress also extended their unbeaten streak in the competition to 29 games.
Mali edged the first quarter 22–19, but Nigeria quickly seized control in the second quarter, outscoring their opponents 24–12 to go into halftime with the lead. They widened the gap with a dominant 22–13 third-quarter display before holding off Mali 17–13 in the final stretch.
Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu led the charge with 19 and 20 points respectively, combining offensive firepower with disciplined team defence to thwart Mali’s hopes of revenge after losses to Nigeria in the 2021 and 2023 finals.
Head coach Rena Wakama, who made history as the first woman to guide D’Tigress to back-to-back titles, hailed her team’s resilience.
“These ladies gave everything. They fought from behind, stayed focused, and proved once again that they are the queens of African basketball,” Wakama said.
Just a day before the final, President Bola Tinubu had charged the team to bring home the trophy and they did not disappoint. Following their emphatic victory, the President congratulated the team for making the nation proud, applauding their discipline, unity, and consistency.
“D’Tigress have made the nation proud once again,” Tinubu said in a statement.
The triumph also earns Nigeria a ticket to the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, where they will represent Africa on the global stage.