Nigeria’s women’s national basketball team, the D’Tigress, are refocusing after a 77–60 defeat to South Korea in their second game of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournament in Lyon, France, on Thursday.
The loss marked the first time the African champions have been beaten by the South Koreans.
Head coach Rena Wakama urged her squad to quickly put the setback behind them and prepare for their next fixture against the Philippines.
“We need to learn from this game, address our shooting and turnover issues, and move forward,” Wakama said.
The match was closely contested in the first half, with Nigeria trailing 36–32 at halftime.
However, the D’Tigress struggled to maintain the same intensity in the second half, allowing South Korea to pull away and secure the win.
Victoria Macaulay was again a key performer for Nigeria, following her standout MVP performance against Colombia.
She finished the game with 22 points and six rebounds, showing consistency despite the team’s overall difficulties.
The D’Tigress and Germany have already secured their spots for the main tournament scheduled in September in Berlin, Germany.
For teams like Nigeria, the qualifying tournament serves as crucial preparation, while other nations, including South Korea, are still vying for the remaining World Cup slots.
The tournament is being hosted across four nations—France, Turkey, Puerto Rico, and China.
After facing the Philippines on Saturday, Nigeria will close out their qualifying schedule against hosts France and Germany.
Wakama remains optimistic that the lessons learned from the defeat will strengthen her squad for the challenges ahead.
The post D’Tigress Look Ahead After Historic Loss to South Korea first appeared on Africa Top Sports.
