Defending champions, Nigeria’s D’Tigress sent a strong message to their rivals at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship with a crushing 92–45 victory over Rwanda in their opening Group B match, held at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
This win hands D’Tigress their 25th consecutive win in the continental championship, a winning streak that dates back to October 2015. It also puts them in prime position to qualify for the next round as they target an unprecedented fifth straight AfroBasket title.
Fast Start, Ruthless Finish from D’Tigress Team
Led by head coach Rena Wakama, the Nigerian ladies dominated from tip-off, taking control of the game with a 17–8 lead in the first quarter.
They kept the momentum going, extending their lead with a 28–17 second-quarter performance. The third and fourth quarters were even more brutal, as Nigeria outscored the Rwandans 26–12 and 21–8 respectively.
The team entered the tournament boosted by their hunger for success, which was evident throughout the match.
Balogun, Macaulay Shine Bright
France-based Elizabeth Balogun stood out with a game-high 18 points, along with 4 rebounds and 2 assists, showcasing her all-round quality.
She was closely followed by Turkey-based Victoria Macaulay, who recorded 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists.
D’Tigress Coach Wakama: “I’m extremely pleased”
Reacting after the win, head coach Rena Wakama praised her team’s effort while noting that the squad is still finding its rhythm due to changes from previous tournaments.
In her own words:
“And as a coach, I’m extremely pleased with our performance, the strength of numbers. All right, I had five in double figures. I had 37 bench points.”
“So at any point in time, anybody can get high. And I’m glad that I have that ability to have balanced scoring and balanced production from the bench as well. This is a new team, okay.”
“The 2023 AfroBasket team is different from the Olympic team. The Olympic team is different from this team. So we’re just still trying to figure out the kinks.”
“Our first game as a team. And I was able to go really deep in my bench. I played everybody’s, okay.”
“A lot of teams didn’t do that. All right. So I’m still trying to figure out rotations.”
“Players are still trying to figure out each other. All right. So there are things that we’ll watch the film on and then we’ll make sure we make improvements.”
“So I expect to continue to get better as the tournament goes on.”
D’Tigress will return to action today (Monday) when they face Mozambique in their second group match. A win would virtually seal their place in the quarter-finals and bring them closer to a fifth straight championship; a record unmatched in the history of the competition.
