Basketball
Libyan newspaper laments Nigeria’s defeat of Libya in AfroBasket
A newspaper in Libya, the Libya Akhbar has lamented the defeat of the national team by Nigeria in the AfroBasket qualifiers. Reporting the D’Tigers’ 75-70 win on Friday night, Libya Akhbar writes:
In a sporting evening marked by feelings of frustration and disappointment, the Libyan basketball team lost to its Nigerian counterpart with a score of (75-70) in the African qualifiers for the 2025 African Basketball Cup, scheduled to be held in Angola next August.
A match marked by excitement and dramatic twists until the last moments, but it ended with a heavy Libyan shock.
The Libyan team entered the match with a clear determination to prove itself against a strong opponent like Nigeria.
From the first moments, the features of a well-thought-out plan based on quick passes and tight defence appeared.
Despite falling behind at times, the Libyan team was able to stay in the atmosphere of the match, which gave the fans hope for a happy surprise
At the start of the fourth period, the Libyan team seemed capable of making a strong comeback.
The small difference in points provided a golden opportunity to equalize, and perhaps even win. The Libyan fans, who followed the match with passion, lived moments of excitement with every successful shot and every heroic defensive attempt.
However, the final minutes witnessed a sudden collapse in concentration, caused by repeated defensive errors and the players’ failure to capitalize on crucial scoring opportunities.
Nigeria, for its part, exploited these gaps and extended its lead, snatching victory at the critical moments.
Despite the strong performance of the Libyan team, the final result was a painful slap in the face.
After the match, the Libyan coach made statements that summed up the team’s feelings: “We took the lead at the crucial moments but lacked focus.” A statement that reflects disappointment but also hints at hope for improvement.
“We were close to a draw, but our defensive mistakes cost us the game,” said one of the team’s players.
The team captain stressed that “the defeat is painful, but it is not the end of the road. We must quickly correct our mistakes to stay in the race to qualify.”
With this loss, Libya’s tally froze at six points, while Nigeria’s tally rose to five points.
This match was a golden opportunity for Libya to top Group Two, tied with Cape Verde, but the defeat dashed these hopes.
In the same group, the qualifiers witnessed Uganda’s victory over Cape Verde (63-60), which further complicated the competition scene.
Libya’s chances now depend on the performance of the other teams and the need to achieve victories in the upcoming matches.
While Libya struggled, other Arab teams performed well. In Group D, Egypt secured a thrilling win over the Central African Republic (75-71), after a game that saw dramatic changes in the score.
Despite falling behind in the early stages, Egypt came back strongly to win the match.
As for the Tunisian team, it won its match against Kenya without much effort, after Kenya was absent from the match, so the victory was considered (20-0), which gave Tunisia the lead in Group Five with a full score.
Libya’s defeat to Nigeria revealed the strengths and weaknesses within the team. The ability to keep up with a strong team like Nigeria until the last moments is evidence of great potential, but the lack of focus at crucial times is a warning bell.
If the Libyan team wants to stay in the competition, it must address these gaps and work on enhancing its fighting spirit and self-confidence. The qualifiers are not over yet, and there is still a chance to return strongly.
Despite the defeat, there is still hope. Basketball is a game of chances and last seconds, and what happened in the Nigeria match should be an incentive for Libya to return stronger and more determined.
The Libyan fans, despite the bitterness, are still waiting for the moment of joy and victory that may come soon if the team learns the lessons of this harsh defeat.
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred national honours on all members of Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, in recognition of their historic victory at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship in Côte d’Ivoire.
Each member of the team was decorated with the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) title at a special reception held on Monday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Representing the president at the event was Vice President Kashim Shettima, who announced a series of generous rewards for the champions.
In addition to the national honours, each player will receive $100,000, while each member of the technical crew will be given $50,000. The government also pledged a flat in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to every player and official on the squad.
The rewards follow D’Tigress’s emphatic 78-64 win over Mali in Sunday’s AfroBasket final, played at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan. The victory marked Nigeria’s fifth consecutive AfroBasket title, a feat unmatched in the tournament’s history. With the triumph, D’Tigress also secured an automatic berth to the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany.
President Tinubu, in his remarks delivered by Vice President Shettima, hailed the team’s resilience, determination, and consistency, describing their dominance on the continental stage as a symbol of national pride and inspiration to the youth.
Present at the reception were First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, Garba Maidoki, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youths and Sports Development, and Kabiru Amadou, Chairman of the House Committee on Sports.
The honours and incentives underscore the government’s renewed commitment to recognising excellence in sports and motivating future champions.
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Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated the national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, on their triumphant outing at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, describing the victory as a testament to the nation’s indomitable spirit and sporting excellence.
In line with what the women’s football team, Super Falcons, experienced barely a week ago, another dollar rainfall could be in the offing for the basketball team.
In a statement released Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu praised the Coach Rena Wakama-led side for their “skill, resilience, determination, and teamwork,” which powered them to a 78–64 victory over Mali in Sunday night’s pulsating final at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
With this win, Nigeria extended their dominance in African women’s basketball, securing their fifth consecutive AfroBasket title and seventh overall, further solidifying their status as the continent’s most successful women’s team.
The President, who had earlier dispatched a nine-man presidential delegation to Abidjan to support the team in the final, commended the players for rising to the occasion despite a slow start that saw them lose the first quarter to a determined Malian side.
“Your superb performance throughout the competition has made Nigeria proud. Like the Super Falcons, you have inspired our young ladies. You embodied the indomitable Nigerian spirit, the power of unity, and the rewards of hard work,” President Tinubu said.
He added that D’Tigress’ sustained excellence had “written their names in history” and served as a beacon of what Africa can offer on the global sporting stage.
The President also praised Head Coach Rena Wakama and her technical crew for their outstanding leadership, and commended the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) for their steadfast support to the team.
In an apparent nod to the recent cash rewards showered on the Super Falcons, there is strong speculation that a similar financial windfall may await D’Tigress on their return to Nigeria.
“The Federal Government and Nigerians will never forget the sacrifices and remain grateful for the highly elevating performances,” Tinubu stated, assuring the team of continued support as they prepare for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournaments next March.
President Tinubu concluded his message by expressing eagerness to personally receive the victorious team and their trophy in Abuja and wished them a safe trip back home.
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South Sudan’s Bright Starlets are the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket bronze medallist.
The debutants who made the competition on a wild card, stunned 11-time champions Senegal 66-65 in the Third-Place Game on Sunday, August 3 to clinch their first ever medal in the continental showpiece.
Their win over Senegal, who were looking to end a decade-long wait for gold, makes it the third time the West Africans have missed out on the podium in 26 editions. They missed in the inaugural edition in 1966 and in 2021 in Cameroon, finishing fourth on both occasions.
Senegal had a start to forget, scoring a single point in the opening seven minutes, finishing the period trailing 26-10. An 18-9 show in the second stanza got their comeback efforts going.
South Sudan still had a 10-point lead with 4 minutes and 41 seconds to play in the third, but Victorine Thiaw contributed seven in a 10-0 run for the Senegalese, to level the score at 44 and it was game on.
Khadija Faye handed Senegal their first short-lived lead at 46-45, but they trailed 50-48 heading to the final quarter.
Lena Timera gave the 11-time champions their biggest lead yet with a step back jump shot from deep for 58-54 but the debutants refused to budge.
A dramatic final minute saw Thiaw and Faye miss four crucial points from the charity stripe with the score tied at 65. Cierra Dillard’s foul with 6 seconds left gave Nyamer Lual Diew the chance to win it for South Sudan, converting one for the massive victory.
HERO
Maria Teresa Gakdeng, on debut for the Bright Starlets, has continued to prove a formidable addition for the East Africans, and she demonstrated that yet again with a huge performance.
She came two blocks shy of a triple-double after shooting for 14, the team’s second highest, while grabbing 13 rebounds and added three assists to finish with an efficiency rating of 26.
Skipper Adut Bulgak scored 14 as well, while leading the side on defense with 11 of her 13 rebounds. Delicia Washington was the side’s top scorer with 22, coming two assists off a double-double and adding 5 rebounds.
The trio will, however, have Diew to thank for the victory in regulation time, as a miss would probably have send the match to overtime.
STATS DON’T LIE
Despite allowing Senegal to score 30 from their 29 turnovers, and missing 14 of their 32 chances from the charity stripe, South Sudan kept themselves in the game with a better show on field goals where they converted 45.8% of their chances against Senegal’s 38.3%.
They out rebounded Senegal 44-26, 29-17 on defense to deny the 2023 silver medalist any second chance scoring opportunities.
BOTTOM LINE
South Sudan have left an indelible mark on debut, reaching the podium in a historic run that saw them come from two losses in the Group Phase to beat Egypt, Uganda and Senegal for the very first time and become the first debutant to be on the podium.
The West Africans, meanwhile, will have some reflections as they are yet to reclaim their dominance of yesteryears. This is the second time since their last title in 2015 that they are missing out on the podium.
WHAT THEY SAID: “Wins happen, losses happen, you can’t win them all. What really matters in sports is how you regroup the next day. You have to have a short memory in this field.
Speaking to our resilience as a team and the mental toughness that took to overcome what happened yesterday [semifinal loss against Mali] and throughout this tournament… This is our first run in AfroBasket and our team deserves to be here.
“The girls have shown it this time around, especially of how young they are. I am looking forward to what the future has for us.” South Sudan power forward Adut Bulgak.
FIBA
Final Standing of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket
1. Nigeria 2. Mali 3. South Sudan 4. Senegal 5. Cameroon 6. Mozambique 7. Cote d’Ivoire 8. Uganda 9. Egypt 10. Angola 11. Rwanda 12. Guinea
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