South Korea defeat D’Tigress 99-81 in World Cup Opener
Nigeria’s D’Tigress opened their 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign with a 99-81 defeat to South Korea.
South Korea pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Nigeria 31-19 to secure the victory. The Koreans had 26 assists and forced 18 turnovers as they took control.
Nigeria had the advantage on the boards, grabbing 41 rebounds to South Korea’s 36, but struggled to contain their opponents’ offense.
Jihyun Park led South Korea’s impressive performance, while Nigeria’s Amy Okonkwo led the scoring for the D’Tigress. Murjanatu Musa also produced a double-double for Nigeria.
The defeat gives Nigeria a difficult start to the tournament, but the D’Tigress will have little time to dwell on it as they face Hungary on Saturday, September 5, at 12:15 p.m. WAT.
The D’Tigress acknowledged the disappointing start but remained focused on the next game, posting: “Not the start we wanted, but it’s only the first game. We go again tomorrow against Hungary.”
