By Christopher Ayeni
AfroBasket 2025: Senegal Ends Nigeria’s D’Tigers Dream of Clinching Title
Nigeria’s D’Tigers crashed out of the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket on Wednesday night after suffering a 91–75 defeat to Senegal in the quarterfinals held in Angola.
The loss ended Nigeria’s hopes of reclaiming continental glory, coming just weeks after their women’s team, D’Tigress, beat Senegal in the semi-finals of the women’s AfroBasket in Cote d’Ivoire. This time, however, the Senegalese men had their revenge, delivering a performance that proved too strong for the Nigerians.
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D’Tigers started brightly, edging Senegal 28–27 in the first quarter. But a disastrous second quarter saw the Lions roar back with a 6–0 run, courtesy of Jean-Jacques Boissy and Amar Sylla’s back-to-back three-pointers. By halftime, Senegal had surged ahead 53–42, leaving Nigeria chasing the game.
Boissy and Brancou Badio were the tormentors-in-chief, scoring 17 and 14 points respectively in the first half. Boissy, in particular, was deadly from long range, sinking five of his seven attempts from beyond the arc. Nigeria’s struggles in both the second and third quarters sealed their fate, despite a spirited fightback in the closing stages.
The defeat means Nigeria will now turn their attention to preparations for the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers, as the search for another AfroBasket title continues.
