FIBA Women's WCQ: South Korea Cages D’Tigress with Gritty Win

Posted : 13 March 2026

Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, suffered a 77–60 defeat to South Korea’s women’s national basketball team in their second game at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments taking place in Lyon, France.

The loss marked the first time Nigeria’s women’s national basketball team has been beaten by the Koreans, who produced a disciplined and physical performance to secure the win.

The Nigerian side kept the contest competitive in the opening two quarters, narrowly trailing 36–32 at halftime.

However, the Asian side tightened their grip on the game in the third and fourth quarters, limiting Nigeria’s attacking rhythm and capitalising on turnovers to extend their advantage.

Victoria Macaulay stood out for D’Tigress with an impressive display, finishing with 22 points and six rebounds after her MVP performance in the opening game against Colombia’s women’s national basketball team.

Head coach Rena Wakama admitted her team struggled with shooting and ball control but urged the players to quickly move past the defeat and focus on their next challenge.

“Korea is a great team. We struggled today shooting the ball, and we turned over the ball twenty-two times, which is not typical of our game,” Wakama said.

“Mentality-wise we are fine, and we are not going to overreact to the loss. There are lessons in defeats, so we will take those lessons and try to get better before our next game.”

She also commended the Koreans for their defensive discipline and physical approach.

“The Koreans were very physical, denying our passing lanes and doubling up on our players. They did a great job, and credit to them,” she added.

South Korea are aiming to secure one of the two available World Cup qualification spots from the round-robin tournament to join already-qualified teams such as Germany and Nigeria at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, scheduled for Berlin, Germany later in September.

Both Nigeria and Germany are participating in the qualifying event primarily as preparation ahead of the World Cup.

The qualification tournament is being held across four countries: France, Turkey, Puerto Rico, and China, with teams battling for places at the global showpiece.

D’Tigress will now turn their attention to their next fixture against the Philippines women’s national basketball team on Saturday before rounding off the preparatory tournament with games against European powerhouses France and Germany.

FIBA Women's WCQ: South Korea Cages D’Tigress with Gritty Win

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