Junior Tigress Make History with First-Ever Win at FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup
Nigeria’s Junior Tigress made history on Saturday, July 12, 2025, by claiming their first-ever win at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Switzerland.
The Nigerian girls celebrated wildly at the final buzzer after a thrilling 93-88 victory over China in Brno, announcing their arrival on the world stage in style.
Nora Ezike was the star of the match, putting on an impressive display in her debut for the national team. She scored 25 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, provided 4 assists, and made 2 steals to help her team to victory.
“I’m so excited. It’s an honour to represent my country, and it feels great to get this first win,” Ezike said after the game.
“The key was sticking to our game plan and never giving up. We defended well, supported each other, and stayed calm towards the end. We didn’t rush and kept our composure.”
The victory brought back memories of Nigeria’s senior women’s team, D’Tigress, who made headlines at the Paris 2024 Olympics by becoming the first African side to win two games and reach the quarter-finals.
Ezike admitted that the senior team inspired her.
“I went to Paris 2024 with my family and watched Nigeria’s games. It was really great to see how far they went,” she said.
Now, the challenge for the Junior Tigress is to build on this historic win and keep progressing in the tournament.
Nigeria’s next game in Group B is against Canada on Sunday, 13 July 2025, with tip-off scheduled for 12:30 GMT.
