Nigeria’s D’Tigress opened their 2026 FIBA Women’s
Basketball World Cup campaign with an 99-81 defeat to South Korea in Berlin on
Friday, September 4.
The African champions stayed within touching distance
for much of the game but struggled in the final quarter as South Korea pulled
away to secure an 18-point victory.
South Korea took an early 26-22 lead at the end of the
first quarter before D’Tigress responded strongly in the second period. Nigeria
reduced the deficit to three points, heading into halftime 48-45 behind.
The Koreans maintained their advantage in the third
quarter, entering the final period with a 68-62 lead. However, South Korea
stepped up their performance in the fourth quarter, outscoring Nigeria 31-19 to
put the game beyond reach.
Jihyun Park led all scorers with 27 points, while
Leeseul Kang was highly effective from long range, converting six
three-pointers.
South Korea made 11 of their 28 attempts from beyond
the arc, compared with Nigeria’s six successful three-pointers from 20
attempts. Turnovers also proved costly for D’Tigress, who committed 23 compared
with South Korea’s 10.
Nigeria captain Amy Okonkwo led her side with 20
points, while Murjanatu Musa dominated the boards with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Despite showing periods of resilience, D’Tigress were
unable to complete a comeback as South Korea capitalised on Nigeria’s turnovers
and combined efficient ball movement with strong perimeter shooting.
Coach Rena Wakama will now shift her focus to
Nigeria’s second Group B game against Hungary on Saturday at 1:15 p.m., with
D’Tigress seeking their first win of the tournament.
Nigeria earned their place at the World Cup after
winning the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket and were drawn in Group B alongside France,
South Korea and Hungary.
The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup is being
held in Berlin and will run until September 13. D’Tigress’ best previous finish
at the competition came in 2018, when they reached the quarter-finals in
Tenerife, Spain.
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