Nigeria’s girls’s basketball crew, D’Tigress, have reached their fifth consecutive AfroBasket last after an exciting 75-68 comeback win over Senegal on Saturday evening on the Palais des Sports activities de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
D’Tigress began the sport strongly, profitable the primary quarter 22-17 and edging the second quarter 21-20. Nonetheless, Senegal bounced again fiercely within the third quarter, outscoring Nigeria 21-9 and taking a 58-52 lead into the ultimate quarter.
However in a dramatic turnaround, Nigeria dominated the fourth quarter 23-10, sealing the comeback win. Each coaches used time-outs and tactical modifications as they tried to outsmart one another, however Coach Rena Wakama – identified for her calmness and sharp dressing – guided her facet previous Senegal’s Coach Otis Hughley Jr.
Senegal’s Cierra Dillard was the standout performer with 27 effectivity factors and 26 complete factors, the very best of the sport. Ezinne Kalu led Nigeria’s scoring with 19 factors, whereas Amy Okonkwo additionally made key contributions. Cierra Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah shared the very best rebound report (7) with Dillard.
The match officers had been Chueca Artadina (Spain), Zouzou Nadaye (Ivory Coast), and Ahmed Aya Khaled (Egypt), with Olinga Pleasure Abooki serving because the Match Commissioner.
This newest win means Nigeria now have a 10-5 head-to-head report in opposition to Senegal in 15 AfroBasket conferences. Their latest dominance contains victories within the 2017 last (65-48), 2019 last (60-55), 2021 semifinal (73-63), and 2023 last (84-74). Nigeria additionally beat Senegal 72-65 on the 2024 Olympic Qualifiers.
To succeed in the semifinals:
- Senegal beat Ivory Coast 66-60
- Nigeria crushed Cameroon 83-47
- Mali defeated Mozambique 86-68
- South Sudan edged Uganda 69-68
Later tonight, Mali will play South Sudan at 10pm within the second semifinal. On Sunday, Senegal will battle for third place at 3:30pm, whereas Nigeria will contest the ultimate at 7pm.
All 4 semifinalists – Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, and South Sudan – have certified for the 2026 FIBA Ladies’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany, scheduled for 4th to thirteenth September 2026.
They’ll be part of 24 different groups, together with:
- Americas: USA, Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico, Colombia
- Asia & Oceania: China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, New Zealand, Australia
- Europe: Germany (hosts), Czech Republic, Hungary, Belgium, France, Italy, Turkey.
