Nigeria’s women national basketball team, D’Tigress, overcame a spirited Mozambique side with a hard-fought 60–55 win in their final Group D match at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket in Abidjan, sealing a quarterfinal spot as group winners.
The intense battle at the Palais des Sports de Treichville saw Nigeria rally from a halftime deficit and an 11-point gap in the third quarter to preserve their impeccable AfroBasket record, which has remained unbroken since 2017.
Mozambique start strong, Nigeria claw back
Mozambique took the fight to the defending champions early on, racing to a 20–22 lead in the first quarter before extending their advantage to 28–24 by halftime.D’Tigress, who had trailed by as much as 11 points in the third quarter, looked shaky and out of rhythm at times.
D’Tigress star player, Ezinne Kanu gave everything shecould, becoming Mozambique’s nightmare and main disruptor, finishing with game-highs of 16 points and five steals.
Murjunatu Musa also came out with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds to join Kalu as team Nigeria’s most productive assets.
Meanwhile, Mozambique’s 20 turnovers could only have serious consequences, and Nigeria capitalized on 10 of them to score 12 points early on. They eventually scored 10 more points off of Mozambique’s turnovers.
Despite taking the lead briefly in the second quarter through Murjanatu Musa’s inside finish, Nigeria found themselves chasing the game again as Mozambique responded with clinical aggression.
Wakama: “I challenged my team at halftime”
After the break, Nigeria’s head coach Rena Wakama admitted she had to rally her side with strong words to spark a reaction—and her players responded.
“Huge credit to Mozambique. They came out and they punched us in the face. Huge credit to them,” Wakama said after the game.
“They’re a very well-coached team. They play extremely hard. I’m proud of my team, though, for overcoming.
“It wasn’t our shooting night. It happens. That’s the game of basketball.
“But at halftime, I challenged my team to dig deep and make sure that we come out on top. And they did that.”
Nigeria’s defense improved significantly in the second half, and clutch plays in the final quarter allowed them to outscore Mozambique when it mattered most.
Dominance continues: Nigeria top Group D
With the result, Nigeria finish top of Group D, having won both of their matches in the group stage. The result also extends D’Tigress’ unbeaten run in AfroBasket competition to 22 games, a streak dating back to 2017.
D’Tigress will now face the runner-up from Group C in the quarterfinals as they continue their quest for a historic fifth consecutive AfroBasket title.
Road to the Quarterfinals: Group D Results
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Nigeria 69 – 44 Rwanda
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Nigeria 60 – 55 Mozambique
The Nigerian basketball team will now turn their attention to the knockout rounds, and look forward to writing history in Abidjan.
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