D’Tigress begin Afrobasket title defence with dominant win over Rwanda

Summary

• Nigeria’s D’Tigress, reigning champions of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, commenced their 2025 campaign with a resounding 92–45 victory over Rwanda
• The win extends D’Tigress’s remarkable unbeaten streak in the tournament to 25 games, dating back to October 2015
• Coach Rena Wakama’s squad demonstrated superior depth and a balanced attack, outscoring Rwanda in all four quarters
• The emphatic performance in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, firmly establishes Nigeria as early group leaders and strong contenders for a historic fifth consecutive title

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire – Nigeria’s D’Tigress, the formidable reigning champions of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, have begun their 2025 title defence in spectacular fashion, overwhelming Rwanda with a commanding 92–45 victory.

The Group D opener, held at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan on Saturday, 26th July 2025, not only secured a dominant win but also extended Nigeria’s impressive unbeaten streak in the tournament to 25 consecutive games, a run that stretches back to October 2015.

Under the guidance of coach Rena Wakama, D’Tigress showcased their superior depth and balanced offensive power, outscoring Rwanda in every quarter (17–8, 28–17, 26–12, and 21–8). The 47-point margin of victory sent a clear message to their competitors.

Elizabeth Balogun led the charge for Nigeria with a game-high 18 points, complemented by four rebounds and two assists. Veteran Victoria Macaulay was also instrumental, contributing 13 points, three rebounds, and five assists. Strong performances from Murjanatu Musa (12 points, five rebounds) and Ifunanya Okoro (11 points, four rebounds, five assists) further highlighted the team’s widespread offensive threat.

Notably, Nigeria’s bench outscored Rwanda’s reserves by a significant 37–13, demonstrating their profound squad depth. D’Tigress also capitalised on Rwanda’s errors, scoring 25 points off turnovers, while maintaining impressive shooting efficiency with 50% from the field, 31.8% from beyond the arc, and 83.3% from the free-throw line.

Rwanda, coached by Cheikh Sarr, managed a brief early lead of 4–2, primarily due to efforts from Bella Murekatete, who finished with seven points and seven rebounds. However, they struggled to sustain any momentum against Nigeria’s relentless intensity and defensive prowess, ultimately recording only 28% field goal accuracy and a mere 12.5% from three-point range.

Winning the match seen as a rematch of the 2023 AfroBasket semifinal in Kigali, where Nigeria had also emerged victorious with a 79–48 scoreline, reaffirms D’Tigress’s status as the dominant force in African women’s basketball as they chase a historic fifth consecutive title.

Rwanda, despite a strong showing in the recent 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament, could not match Nigeria’s current level of play.

The 2025 Women’s AfroBasket, hosted by Côte d’Ivoire for the first time, features 12 teams competing across four groups from 26th July to 3rd August 2025. Nigeria, placed in Group D alongside Rwanda and Mozambique, has firmly established itself as the group leader with this commanding opening performance.

The ultimate prize for the tournament winner is a direct ticket to the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, with the top four teams also qualifying for global qualifying tournaments.

It would be recalled that the Super Falcons, Nigeria’s female football team, won the WAFCON 2024 tournament in Casablanca, Morocco, yesterday in a stunning win over the host team, the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco, staging an incredible comeback from 2 – 0 down.

The Super Falcons, Africa’s reigning female football champions

In a post on X, D’Tigress congratulated their “sister Queens”, describing the victory as one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. “Not even the laser lights could stop the Super Falcons.” They said.

Like the Super Falcons, D’Tigress’ emphatic start has set a strong tone for their campaign, underscoring their continued dominance and ambition to make history.