African champions Nigeria’s D’Tigress suffered a 77–60 defeat to South Korea in their second game of the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournament in Lyon on Thursday, www.aclsports.com reports.
Coach Rena Wakama’s side struggled to cope with the opponents’ deadly long-range shooting at the Astroballe Arena. Wakama retained the same starting five that defeated Colombia in the opening game, with Amy Okonkwo, Elizabeth Balogun, Promise Amukamara, Murjanatu Musa and Ezinne Kalu taking the court from tip-off.
The visitors started strongly, outscoring Nigeria 20–16 in the opening quarter as the D’Tigress found it difficult to keep pace from the perimeter. The second quarter was closely contested, with both sides scoring 16 points, leaving South Korea with a narrow 36–32 lead at half-time.
Victoria Macaulay led Nigeria’s charge in the first half, scoring 15 of the team’s 32 points. Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu each added three points before the break.
The opponents extended their lead in the third quarter, outscoring Nigeria 22–19 to take a 58–51 advantage into the final period. Nigeria struggled offensively in the fourth, managing only nine points as the visitors pulled further ahead to secure a 77–60 victory.
Macaulay finished as Nigeria’s standout performer with 22 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes, shooting 8-of-13 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Her performance also broke her own record for the most points scored by a Nigerian player in a single game at the Women’s Qualifying Tournament. Murjanatu Musa added 10 points and three rebounds for the D’Tigress.
South Korea made 11 three-pointers and recorded 29 assists in the game. Jihyun Park led the scoring with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, while also contributing six rebounds and four assists. Leeseul Kang added 20 points, making five three-pointers.
Nigeria won the rebounding battle 39–31, but 18 turnovers and an inability to contain South Korea’s deadly perimeter shooting ultimately proved costly.
The D’Tigress will now turn their attention to their next challenge, facing the Philippines on 14 March as they look to bounce back in the tournament.
