The Nigerian female basketball team, D’Tigress, has suffered its first defeat at the Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA) Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in Lyon, France after losing 77–60 to South Koreans.
D’Tigress’ defeat came less than 24 hours after the Nigerian side delivered a commanding 70–37 victory over Colombia in their opening game of the qualifying round.
During the game on Thursday, South Korea produced a disciplined performance, especially in the final quarter, to overturn Nigeria’s historical dominance in the previous fixtures between the teams.
The Asian side started strongly, taking the first quarter 20–16. Nigeria responded in the second quarter as both teams matched each other point for point, ending the period 16–16 to leave Korea with a narrow 36–32 lead at halftime.
The third quarter followed a similar pattern, with South Korea edging it 22–19 to extend their advantage heading into the final stretch. Nigeria’s hopes of a comeback faded in the fourth quarter as the Koreans tightened their defence and outscored D’Tigress 19–9 to seal the 17-point victory.
Nigeria struggled offensively throughout the game, particularly from long range. The team converted only 4 of 17 attempts from three-point range, representing 24 per cent accuracy, while shooting 40 per cent on two-point attempts after making 18 of 45 shots.
South Korea, on the other hand, showed greater efficiency inside the arc, converting 16 of 26 two-point attempts for an impressive 58 per cent success rate. They also maintained a solid presence at the free-throw line, converting 14 of 19 attempts.
In terms of overall team play, South Korea dominated several statistical categories. They recorded 47 rebounds compared to Nigeria’s 34 and also registered 29 assists, more than double Nigeria’s total of 14. The Koreans also edged the steals category with eight compared to Nigeria’s five.
Despite the defeat, a few Nigerian players still delivered notable individual performances. Victoria Macaulay led D’Tigress with 22 points, building on her strong outing against Colombia where she was named the Most Valuable Player.
Veteran guard Ezinne Kalu added 11 points, while Murjanatu Musa contributed 10 points for the Nigerian side.
