France Crush D’Tigress 111-56 to Top World Cup Group B

France crushed African champions Nigeria 111-56 to finish top of Group B at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany, leaving D’Tigress without a win in the group stage.

Nigeria suffered their third straight defeat after France produced a stunning shooting display at the Berlin Arena.

D’Tigress struggled from the start as France quickly took control of the game. The French side scored 31 points in the first quarter and added 34 more in the second to take a huge 65-26 lead into half-time.

France continued their dominance after the break, scoring 30 points in the third quarter before slowing down in the final period.

The French team also set a new World Cup record with 22 three-pointers. They broke their previous best of 15, set against Hungary earlier in the tournament, as well as Japan’s previous record of 20.

France were especially impressive in the first half, making 14 three-pointers. Gabby Williams and Marine Johannes combined for eight from 11 attempts.

The 65 points France scored before half-time was also their highest first-half total in a FIBA Women’s World Cup match.

Williams made history by becoming the first French player to score six three-pointers in a Women’s World Cup game.

For Nigeria, the heavy defeat ended a disappointing group-stage campaign and showed the gap between the current team and the D’Tigress side that impressed at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Captain Amy Okonkwo admitted that Nigeria struggled to deal with France’s quality.

“It was a tough game. France is a great team. We saw that at the 2024 Olympics, and we’ve seen it throughout the qualifiers,” Okonkwo said.

“They’re a really great team, and they came out to play today. Again, I think we just struggled to find our rhythm early and weren’t able to get the win or really stop them.”

Head coach Rena Wakama said the team is now going through a rebuilding process and cannot depend on the success of the 2024 Olympic squad.

“A lot of people saw what we did in 2024, and the reality of where we are today is that we’re in a rebuilding process,” Wakama said.

“I think connectivity is a big thing for myself, my team and my staff. Where we are today isn’t where we were two years ago.

“We can’t rely on the success we had two years ago. Who we are today, we’re still figuring that out, and I know we will.”

Wakama also highlighted France’s experience, pointing out that several of their players are regular starters in the WNBA and are currently in strong competitive form.

“A lot of those players are in playoff shape. They play in the WNBA, and my players just weren’t there yet to be able to compete at the level that they were competing at,” she explained.

Despite the big defeat, the coach said she was proud of the way her young players continued to fight.

“I’m most proud of our fight,” Wakama said.

“When you have a new team and I have so many young players, I think I have about five or six young players on this team who have never been at this stage before, some of whom just graduated from college.

“I was super proud of the fight, specifically today.”

Grace Efosa was one of Nigeria’s bright spots, scoring 15 points in around 20 minutes.

Wakama believes the younger players can become important members of the national team as Nigeria begins preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

She said the rebuilding process must start with selecting the best available Nigerian players.

“It starts, one, with just who we’re getting in the uniforms, right? Just making sure that I’m continuing to put the best talent that Nigeria has to offer in these uniforms,” she said.

Wakama also praised the support of the Nigeria Basketball Federation but admitted that the team needs to improve its preparation.

“We had great preparation, but I think there’s another level that we have to get to in that preparation,” she added.

Although Nigeria’s World Cup campaign ended without a win, Wakama believes the future of women’s basketball remains bright as more players from the WNBA and other top leagues continue to compete at international level.

“This is the best time to be a part of women’s basketball specifically,” she said.