Senegal Knocks Out Nigeria’s D’Tigers in AfroBasket Quarter-Final Clash

Nigeria’s hopes of reclaiming the AfroBasket title suffered a major blow on Wednesday as D’Tigers crashed out of the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket Championship following a 91-75 defeat to Senegal in their quarter-final encounter at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda, Angola.

The clash came just a month after Nigeria’s women’s team, D’Tigresses, won against Senegal in the women’s edition of the tournament, and the Senegalese men ensured they denied D’Tigers a semifinal berth.

The Nigerians started brightly, edging the first quarter 24-23, but Senegal stormed back in the second period with a dominant 30-18 run to head into halftime with an 11-point advantage at 53-42. The momentum carried into the third quarter as Senegal widened the gap further with a 23-13 display, leaving Nigeria chasing shadows.

Despite a spirited fightback in the final quarter, which D’Tigers won 20-15, the damage had already been done, as the Senegalese comfortably closed out the contest.

NBA guard Josh Okogie, who had scored 33 points in an earlier group game, was restricted to just four points, as Senegal’s defence kept him quiet throughout. Nigeria’s co-captain, Ike Nwamu, led the team with 15 points, while Stan Okoye, Caleb Agada, and Martins Igbanu contributed 14, 12, and 12 points, respectively.

Senegal’s Brancou Badio was the standout performer of the night, scoring a game-high 32 points. Jean-Jacques Boissy added 19 points, while Moustapha Pape-Diop chipped in with 14. Statistically, Senegal proved superior, recording 47.1 per cent shooting accuracy compared to Nigeria’s 35.6 per cent, while also dominating the boards with 53 rebounds to D’Tigers’ 35.

The defeat ended Nigeria’s AfroBasket journey at the quarter-final stage, bringing their head-to-head record with Senegal to 5-4. D’Tigers had earlier topped Group B with wins over Madagascar, Tunisia, and Cameroon, but could not sustain their form against the Senegalese.

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