D’TIGRESS BEGIN TITLE DEFENCE WITH BIG WIN OVER RWANDA

By: Gyang Dakwo

Nigeria’s D’Tigress opened their 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket campaign with a commanding 92-45 victory over Rwanda in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, as they began the hunt for a seventh continental title.

The result, recorded at the Palais des Sports de Treichville, stretched Nigeria’s unbeaten run in the competition to 25 games, a streak that dates back to October 2015, and reinforced their position as the team to beat.

Coach Rena Wakama’s team only trailed once in the entire game, when Rwanda briefly led 4-2. Ezinne Kalu then tied the score with a smooth mid-range jumper, and from that moment, the D’Tigress controlled the pace, outplaying their East African opponents in all areas.

Nigeria had five players scoring in double digits, and the bench proved just as effective, outscoring Rwanda’s substitutes 37-13. The D’Tigress also forced 22 turnovers and turned them into 25 points, showing their strength on both ends of the court.

Elisabeth Balogun led the scoring for Nigeria with 18 points, while Victoria Macaulay made an impressive return after three years, adding 13 points, five rebounds, and five steals. Ifunanya Okoro contributed 11 points from the bench, Murjanatu Musa scored 12, and captain Amy Okonkwo finished with 10. Promise Amukamara also played a key role with eight points and six assists.

Speaking after the game, Murjanatu Musa admitted that Rwanda had been expected to put up a stronger fight. She said the win gave the team more energy to chase further victories, but she also called for an improvement in defence in their upcoming matches.

For Rwanda, it was another difficult game against Nigeria, who had also knocked them out in the semi-finals of the last tournament in 2023 with a 79-48 win. Coach Cheikh Sarr’s side was led by Destiney Philoxy with 11 points and five assists, while Keisha Hampton added 10 points.

Rwanda will try to bounce back when they face Mozambique on Monday. Nigeria will also play Mozambique in their second group game on Tuesday, and a win in that encounter will guarantee the D’Tigress a place in the quarter-finals.