Nigeria’s women basketball team, D’Tigress, on Sunday defeated Mali 78-64 to clinch an unprecedented fifth consecutive AfroBasket title.
The victory was one of Nigeria’s toughest of the tournament as Mali demonstrated their determination to end Nigeria’s winning streak.
Prior to the game, Nigeria had a running 10-year 28 straight winning streak at the continental tournament.
Nigeria has now won seven AfroBasket titles.
The Sunday win didn’t come easily as Mali established dominance by winning the first quarter 26-21.
However, D’Tigress showed resilience to rally back in the second quarter with a 20-15 win.
Business Post reports that with the win, Nigeria extended their winning streak to 29-0, dating back to the third-place game of the 2015 tournament in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
With the second quarter tied at 41–41, Nigeria stepped up efforts in the third and fourth quarters to put the game in a safe territory.
Nigeria’s captain, Amy Okonkwo, shone as she went 7-for-11 from the field, including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, and finished with 19 points. On the other hand, Ezinne Kalu led Nigeria in scoring with 20 points.
For Mali, star player Sika Koné did everything in her power to help Mali win their first Women’s AfroBasket since 2007. However, her 16 points and 13 rebounds were no match for Nigeria, who have been Africa’s most dominant team since 2015.
With 49 points between them, Amy Okonkwo, Ezinne Kalu, and Victoria Macaulay accounted for more than half of Nigeria’s 78 points.
Okonkwo spent the entire game on the floor and was eventually named the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Most Valuable Player (MVP), repeating a feat from 2023.
She has now joined a unique group of players with two MVP awards, alongside Mfon Udoka (2003 and 2005), Aya Traore (2009 and 2015), and Nacissela Mauricio (2011 and 2013).