Nigeria’s “D’Tigress” became the first team to win five straight titles at the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, defeating a resilient Mali 78-64 in Sunday’s final.
The 29th edition of the tournament began July 27 with 12 teams and concluded at the 3,500-seat Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan. The championship game featured World No. 11 Nigeria and No. 24 Mali, the top two African teams in FIBA’s latest women’s rankings.
Ezinne Kalu led Nigeria with a game-high 20 points, along with four rebounds and five assists. Amy Okonkwo added 19 points and nine rebounds. For Mali, Sika Kone posted a team-high 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Sira Thienou and Djeneba N’Diaye each scored 12 points.
Mali struck first when Foune Sissoko sank a three-pointer just one minute into the contest. Nigeria trailed 26-21 at the end of the first quarter but rallied behind Kalu, Okonkwo and Murjanatu Musato to tie it 41-41 at halftime.
The defending champions edged ahead 61-56 after three quarters and steadily pulled away. Victoria Macaulay’s three-pointer in the final minute sealed the 78-64 victory, extending Nigeria’s winning streak in the competition to 29 games dating back to the 2015 third-place match.
“A huge credit to Mali. They are extremely disciplined, and they play extremely hard. They play together, and they play extremely fast,” said Rena Wakama, the first female head coach of D’Tigress.
“Going into the game, we told the girls: in order to win this game, we have to cut out their transition points; we have to get back; we have to protect the paint. We got punched in the face a little bit, but we dug down and were able to get those ups, which was huge for us,” she added.
Earlier, in the third-place game, debutants South Sudan edged 11-time champion Senegal 66-65 in an upset win.
FIBA said Nigeria, Mali, South Sudan and Senegal will join 20 other teams in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournaments. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
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