Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, made a dominant statement in their opening match of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, defeating Rwanda 92–45 at the Palais des Sports de Treichville. The victory extends Nigeria’s unbeaten streak in the tournament to an impressive 25 games dating back to October 2015.
D’Tigress seized control early with a strong first quarter performance, finishing 17–8 ahead. They further asserted dominance in the second (28–17) and third (26–12) quarters, before closing out with a commanding (21–8) fourth quarter to seal the rout.
Guard Elizabeth Balogun, who opened the scoring with a composed mid‑range jumper, led the team with 18 points along with four offensive and two defensive rebounds. Veteran centre Victoria Macaulay added 13 points and six rebounds, while Murjanatu Musa tallied 12 points and seven boards, all contributing to the frontcourt dominance.
Balogun, Musa, and Macaulay combined for a total of 43 points in the win.
Rwanda managed only brief resistance, briefly leading 4–2 through early efforts by Bella Murekatete. A quick response from D’Tigress, an 8–0 run capped by a jumper from Ezinne Kalu put Nigeria in control for good. Murekatete’s highlight-reel block on Kalu and her 7 rebounds and 7 points provided an occasional spark, but Rwanda failed to recover.
Beyond the starters, Nigeria’s bench outscored Rwanda’s rotation by 37–13 and capitalised on turnovers to score 25 points off errors.
As six-time champions and holders of four straight AfroBasket titles (2017, 2019, 2021, 2023), D’Tigress now look ahead to their next Group D match against Mozambique on July 28 at 4 p.m. local time, at the same arena in Abidjan.
Nigeria’s emphatic win reaffirms their status as favorites and continues their quest to secure a record fifth consecutive AfroBasket title and their seventh overall when the tournament concludes on August 3, 2025.
