D’Tigress began their 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket title defence in emphatic fashion, cruising to a comprehensive 92–45 victory over Rwanda at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan on Saturday.
Despite having just two days of training in Nigeria and no warm-up games ahead of the tournament, the team showed cohesion and determination to overpower Rwanda, a performance they hope to build on as the competition progresses.
As expected, the reigning champions dominated from start to finish, outscoring Rwanda in all four quarters: 17–8, 28–17, 24–12, and 21-8. The team maintained relentless pressure throughout, never taking their foot off the gas.
Five D’Tigress players scored in double figures in the dominant win. Guard Elizabeth Balogun led the charge with a game-high 18 points, followed by Victoria Macaulay with 13 points. Murjanatu Musa added 12 points, Ifunanya Okoro chipped in 11, and Amy Okonkwo contributed 10 points to round out a balanced team performance.
More Read
For Rwanda, Destiny Promise Philoxy led her team with 11 points, while Keisha Hampton added 10.
Earlier in the day, tournament favourites Senegal made a strong statement of intent, thrashing Guinea 92–48. Senegal is coached by former D’Tigress head coach Otis Hughley.
Hughley’s appointment in 2017 marked the beginning of Nigeria’s era of dominance in African women’s basketball. He led the team to their first Women’s Afrobasket title in over a decade, setting the tone for years of continental success.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
