D’Tigress fall to South Korea in 2026 FIBA World Cup opener

Nigeria’s D’Tigress began their 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign with an 81-99 loss to South Korea in Berlin on Friday.

The African champions stayed within reach for most of the game but struggled in the final quarter as South Korea pulled away to secure an 18-point victory.

South Korea took a 26-22 lead after the first quarter, but D’Tigress responded strongly in the second period to reduce the gap, with the Koreans leading 48-45 at halftime.

The third quarter remained closely contested, with South Korea holding a narrow 68-62 advantage heading into the final period.

However, the Asian side stepped up in the fourth quarter and extended the lead to claim victory in their opening World Cup match.

Jihyun Park led all scorers with 27 points, while Leeseul Kang proved particularly dangerous from long range, making six three-pointers as South Korea finished 11 of 28 from beyond the arc.

Nigeria, meanwhile, made six of 20 attempts from three-point range and committed 23 turnovers, more than twice South Korea’s 10.

D’Tigress captain Amy Okonkwo led Nigeria’s scoring with 20 points, while Murjanatu Musa contributed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Despite several periods of resistance, Nigeria could not sustain a comeback as South Korea capitalised on their mistakes and maintained control through disciplined ball movement and accurate shooting.

The result leaves coach Rena Wakama with areas to address ahead of Nigeria’s second Group B game, particularly their ball security and defence against perimeter shooters.

D’Tigress will face Hungary on Saturday at 1:15 pm as they seek to recover from the opening-day defeat and keep their World Cup campaign on track.

Nigeria qualified for the tournament after winning the 2025 Women’s Afrobasket and are drawn in Group B alongside France, South Korea and Hungary.

The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup is being held in Berlin and runs until September 13.

D’Tigress reached the quarter-finals at the 2018 World Cup in Tenerife, Spain, and will be hoping to surpass that achievement this year.

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