Hughley noted that Nigeria’s D’Tigress have played in three Olympics and two World Cups.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Senegal head coach, Otis Hughley Jr, has explained why his team lost Saturday’s thrilling 2025 Women’s AfroBasket semi-final against Nigeria’s D Tigress.
Speaking after D’Tigress defeated their fellow West Africans for the ninth consecutive time, the 60-year-old American said his players lost because they couldn’t cope with a more experienced side.
Nigeria beat a resilient Senegal 75-68 in a 2025 Women’s AfroBasket semi-final played at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
Senegal started brightly and led 11-2, but Nigeria rallied to lead 22-17 at the end of the first quarter and headed into half-time with a 43-37 lead.
Cierra Dillard then won 26 points, seven rebounds, and three assists to help Senegal outscore Nigeria 21-9 and edge the third quarter 54-50.
However, The decisive final quarter went D’Tigress’ way as the defending champions triumphed 75-68.
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While commenting on the outcome of the clash after the narrow defeat, Hughley said his players “fought hard” and gave themselves a chance to win.
He, however, admitted that the D’Tigress are a tough nut to crack, stressing that they have played in three Olympics and two World Cups.
He added that Saturday’s semi-final is Nigeria’s fifth consecutive appearance in the AfroBasket championship.
Hughley said, “This is our first step with this group. I thought we fought hard and gave ourselves a chance to win, but a few discouraging possessions made a difference in the game.
“We played a really experienced team. They have played in three Olympics and two World Cups, and this is their fifth AfroBasket. I played in two of those. They are very experienced, but our ladies challenged them.
“We had nine players without AfroBasket experience. We did something monumental by challenging the champions.
“At some point, it looked like we could pull it off. However, we couldn’t get the stops we needed.”
