D’Tigress Suffer Costly Double-Digit Defeat to South Korea in World Cup Opener

After weeks of preparation, five warm-up games and stops across China and Spain, D’Tigress finally opened their FIBA Women’s World Cup campaign against South Korea in Berlin.

The preparation had taken Nigeria from a training camp in Chicago to Haikou and Foshan in China, before moving through Tenerife and Zaragoza in Spain.

Nigeria lost their first two games against China before responding with an 88-77 victory in the final meeting. They then suffered defeats to Spain and Belgium in Tenerife.

Rena Wakama trusted experience for the opener, naming Amy Okonkwo, Elizabeth Balogun, Promise Amukamara, Murjanatu Musa and Ezinne Kalu as her starting five.

Nigeria entered the game with unfinished business after South Korea defeated them 77–60 in the World Cup qualifiers earlier this year. Twenty minutes in, however, neither side was able to control the contest.

The first half was a tale of back-and-forth. D’Tigress had their moments, but South Korea continued to make life difficult with disciplined ball movement, accurate shooting from three-point range, and their ability to keep Nigeria from settling into a comfortable rhythm.

The first half ended 48-45 in favor of South Korea.

For D’Tigress, the challenge after the break was to keep the momentum. Instead, the third quarter brought a costly collapse.

Nigeria committed nine turnovers in the quarter, handing South Korea the opportunity to stretch their lead, ending the quarter with a six-point lead heading into the fourth.

The trend continued in the fourth quarter, with South Korea extending their advantage to 10 points before Murjanatu Musa cut the deficit to eight.

D’Tigress tried to fight their way back into the contest, but South Korea remained composed, continuing to punish Nigeria’s mistakes from beyond the arc and finishing the game at 50% from three-point range.

South Korea eventually pulled away for a 99–81 victory, leaving D’Tigress with a disastrous start to their World Cup campaign. Nigeria finished with 23 turnovers, nine of them coming in the third quarter as South Korea turned their mistakes into an advantage.

With little or no time for Nigeria to dwell on the defeat, D'Tigress will face Hungary in their next Group B fixture on Saturday. After this damaging opening loss, Nigeria must respond with a much-improved performance against a Hungarian side making its first World Cup appearance since 1998. Another defeat would leave D’Tigress with a difficult route through the group.