D’TIGRESS CRUSH CAMEROON TO REACH AFROBASKET SEMIFINALS

By: Gyang Dakwo

Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, played with confidence and style on Thursday as they beat Cameroon 83 to 47 to move into the semifinals of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The quarterfinal match took place at the Palais des Sports de Treichville, and Nigeria made their intentions clear from the start. They went into halftime with a 41 to 29 lead, and then came back even stronger to finish the job in the second half. This big win now sets up a semifinal clash with Senegal.

Amy Okonkwo led the scoring for Nigeria with 18 points, six rebounds, and one assist. Nicole Enabosi and Victoria Macaulay were also sharp as they both scored 12 points each, while Elizabeth Balogun added 11 points to the scoreboard.

Another highlight of the game was the return of team captain Sarah Ogoke. She had missed the group stage, but she came back and scored a three-pointer early in the game which gave the team a boost and got the bench on their feet.

After the match, head coach Rena Wakama praised the players for their hard work. She said she was proud of how the team stayed focused and followed the game plan both in attack and in defence.

All twelve players on the team got time on the court, and they all scored, which showed just how deep and balanced the squad is.

This victory also means Nigeria have now booked a place in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament because reaching the AfroBasket semifinals gives them an automatic ticket.

Before this stage, Nigeria had already topped Group D after strong wins against Rwanda and Mozambique, and that gave them a direct spot in the quarterfinals. Cameroon had to go through a playoff where they beat Angola to make it to the last eight.

Now, it is Nigeria versus Senegal in the next round, and both teams will be aiming to get closer to the AfroBasket title.