D’Tigress duo Murjanatu Musa and Ezinne Kalu have credited teamwork, unity, and playing “the Nigerian way” for their dominant 83–47 win over Cameroon in the quarterfinal of the FIBA Women’s Afrobasket.
The defending champions booked their place in the semifinals with a commanding performance, controlling the game from start to finish. The third quarter was particularly emphatic, as Nigeria outscored Cameroon 25–2, putting the contest beyond doubt.
It was a timely statement win for the D’Tigress, who faced criticism following their nervy comeback victory over Mozambique in the final group game, where they trailed for most of the match.
Speaking after the win, Murjanatu Musa, most recently with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, said the result was a reflection of the team’s chemistry and enjoyment on the court.
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“We played as a team, enjoyed the game by doing what we do best, and this is the result,” Musa said. “We feel great about making it to the semifinals again. We’ll do our best to reach the final. We know Senegal, and they know us. We just need to play our game and see what happens.”
Point guard and team leader Ezinne Kalu echoed Musa’s sentiments, describing the performance as the embodiment of Nigerian basketball.
“We just needed to stick together and play Nigerian basketball,” Kalu said. “This is the definition of Nigerian basketball: fighting, throwing the first punch, setting the tone, and bringing the energy to win over our fans and supporters.
“We’re super excited to be in the semifinals! Senegal is a great team, and I’m looking forward to playing them.”
Nigeria will face arch-rivals Senegal in the semifinal clash. The winner of the tournament will secure an automatic qualification for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup. The D’Tigress have already secured a place in the World Cup Qualifying Tournaments.
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