Nigeria’s D’Tigress stormed into the semifinals of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket with a commanding 83–47 victory over Cameroon a performance head coach Rena Wakama credited to her starters’ intensity and leadership.
Speaking after the dominant display in Abidjan, Wakama reflected on a no-nonsense message delivered to her team following a below-par showing in their previous match, a narrow 60–55 win against Mozambique.
“I’m very honest with my girls, very honest,” she said. “They know that I can be rude. Like in the second quarter, for the last few minutes, they scored only ten points, and I told them that was unacceptable.
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“The message was, ‘Hey, we need to come out and dominate each quarter.’ After that, my starters did a phenomenal job in setting the tone.
That brought a trickle effect down to the rest of the players, and that made them play better.”
Rena Wakama. Photo Credit: X
The defending champions, unbeaten in African competition since 2017, showcased their strength in depth with all 12 players scoring.
Elizabeth Balogun, Murjanatu Musa, and Ezinne Kalu were among four players who finished in double digits.
Photo Credit: X
With their eyes now set on a semifinal showdown against Senegal the most successful team in Women’s AfroBasket history Wakama believes her team is peaking at the right time.
“We took lessons from the last game and responded in the best way possible,” she added. “Now, it’s about keeping the focus and energy high.”
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D’Tigress are aiming for a fourth consecutive AfroBasket title and a sixth overall, further cementing their status as Africa’s dominant force in women’s basketball.
