ABIDJAN (Cote d’Ivoire) – Nigeria kept their winning streak alive on Saturday by easily beating Rwanda 92-45 in the second game of the 2025 Women's AfroBasket in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
This is the Tigresses' 25th win in a row in the tournament, dating back to October 2015.
Elizabeth Balogun scored the first basket with a mid-range shot, but the team from Rwanda didn't seem impressed. At this point in the game, they seemed ready to fight back.
However, Rwanda never actually tried to fight back. Nigeria played a more disciplined game and won by 47 points.
TURNING POINT: Bella Murekatete gave Rwanda a short-lived 4-2 lead. Then, Ezinne Kalu hit a midrange jump shot that tied the game at 4-4.
The current champions used an 8-0 scoring, and the East African team never again posed a threat for the rest of the game.
GAME HERO: Mureketeta made some impressive plays, including an amazing block on former MVP Ezzine Kanu in the third quarter. She also finished with seven points and rebounds. But the trio of Elisabeth Balogun, Murjanatu Musa and Victoria Macaulay proved crucial, contributing a combined 43 points.
STATS DON'T LIE: Nigeria's bench proved crucial, outscoring Rwanda's 37-13, but what hurt Rwanda the most were some of their continuing turnovers, which resulted in 25 Nigeria points.
Destiney Philoxy and Keisha Hampton were the only Rwandans to score in double digits, finishing 11 and 10 points, respectively.
BOTTOM LINE: The last time Nigeria and Rwanda played against each other in the semifinals of the 2023 Women's AfroBasket in Kigali, Nigeria beat Rwanda, the host country, with a score of 79–48. Nigeria then won their fourth continental title in a row by beating Senegal in the final.
The Rwandans were doing well as they returned to the international stage after an impressive 2026 Women's Basketball World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament on their home court, but Nigeria reminded everyone yet again who is the best in the continent.
WHAT THEY SAID: "We expected a tough match against Rwanda as they are a good side. I don't know what happened to them but it is a good first win for us; gives us the energy to keep working for those victories. Despite the win, there's need to tighten our defense in coming matches," Nigerian forward Murjanatu Musa
FIBA