FIBA Women’s World Cup: D’Tigress Suffer Heavy Opening Defeat
Nigeria’s D’Tigress began their 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign on a disappointing note after suffering a 99–81 defeat to South Korea in Berlin, Germany, on Friday.
The African champions struggled to contain South Korea’s attacking threat throughout the contest, with the hosts of the encounter taking an early 26–22 lead at the end of the first quarter.
D’Tigress responded strongly in the second quarter, edging South Korea 23–22, but still went into halftime trailing 48–45.
South Korea regained control after the interval, winning the third quarter 20–17 before producing their most decisive performance in the final period.
The Koreans outscored Nigeria 31–19 in the fourth quarter to secure an 18-point victory and start their World Cup campaign with maximum points.
Park Ji-hyun was the standout performer for South Korea, leading all scorers with 27 points, alongside six rebounds and six steals.
Kang Lee-seul also made a significant contribution with 20 points and seven assists.
For Nigeria, Amy Okonkwo led the scoring with 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Murjanatu Musa recorded a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds.
The result represents a difficult opening for D’Tigress, who will now need to regroup quickly and focus on their remaining group-stage fixtures.
