{"id":121201,"date":"2025-08-04T07:10:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T06:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=121201"},"modified":"2025-08-04T07:10:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T06:10:08","slug":"dtigress-make-history-with-fifth-consecutive-afrobasket-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/dtigress-make-history-with-fifth-consecutive-afrobasket-title\/","title":{"rendered":"D\u2019Tigress Make History with Fifth Consecutive AfroBasket Title"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n
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Nigeria\u2019s women\u2019s basketball team, D\u2019Tigress, have once again stamped their authority on the continent by winning the 2025 FIBA Women\u2019s AfroBasket Championship, defeating Mali 78\u201364 in the final to claim a historic fifth consecutive title.<\/div>\n
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The victory marks their seventh AfroBasket crown overall and sets a new record as the first African women\u2019s team to win five back-to-back titles (2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025).<\/div>\n
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\u00a0D\u2019Tigress also extended their unbeaten streak in the competition to 29 games.<\/div>\n
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Mali edged the first quarter 22\u201319, but Nigeria quickly seized control in the second quarter, outscoring their opponents 24\u201312 to go into halftime with the lead. They widened the gap with a dominant 22\u201313 third-quarter display before holding off Mali 17\u201313 in the final stretch.<\/div>\n
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Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu led the charge with 19 and 20 points respectively, combining offensive firepower with disciplined team defence to thwart Mali\u2019s hopes of revenge after losses to Nigeria in the 2021 and 2023 finals.<\/div>\n
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Head coach Rena Wakama, who made history as the first woman to guide D\u2019Tigress to back-to-back titles, hailed her team\u2019s resilience.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThese ladies gave everything. They fought from behind, stayed focused, and proved once again that they are the queens of African basketball,\u201d Wakama said.<\/div>\n
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Just a day before the final, President Bola Tinubu had charged the team to bring home the trophy\u00a0 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.<\/div>\n
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\u201cD\u2019Tigress have made the nation proud once again,\u201d Tinubu said in a statement.<\/div>\n
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The triumph also earns Nigeria a ticket to the 2026 FIBA Women\u2019s Basketball World Cup, where they will represent Africa on the global stage.<\/div>\n
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