Nigeria’s D’Tigress have secured a spot in the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket final after edging out Senegal 75–68 in a pulsating semifinal showdown at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Côte d’Ivoire.
Billed as the “final before the final,” the heavyweight clash delivered fireworks from tip-off. Senegal came out firing, building an early 11–2 advantage.
But the reigning champions responded in style, stringing together a 13–0 scoring run to close the first quarter ahead, 22–17.
The intensity carried into the second quarter with both teams exchanging buckets.
D’Tigress narrowly won the period 21–20, with Victoria Thiaw nailing a dramatic three-pointer at the buzzer, her first points of the night, to give Nigeria a 43–37 cushion at halftime.
Senegal surged back in the third quarter, taking control with a dominant 21–9 run that flipped the script and handed them a 58–52 lead heading into the final ten minutes.
However, true to form, D’Tigress regrouped in the fourth quarter, digging deep to overturn the deficit.
With resilient defense and timely scoring, Nigeria clawed back to seal a hard-earned victory and book a place in Sunday’s final, where they’ll now aim for an unprecedented fifth straight AfroBasket crown.
