Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress concluded their group-stage campaign at the FIBA U-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup with a 79–61 loss to Portugal, finishing third in Group D.
The loss, which came on the heels of a dominant performance by the Portuguese side, saw Nigeria wrap up their third and final group game on Tuesday. Despite the defeat, the team showed flashes of promise and individual brilliance throughout the tournament.
After opening their World Cup journey with a dramatic 93–88 win over China, the Nigerian side struggled to maintain momentum, suffering a heavy 113–42 loss to Canada in their second outing. Portugal proved another challenging opponent, pulling away with an 18-point margin to secure second place in the group behind Canada.
Idubamo Beggi led the scoring for Nigeria with 17 points, 6 assists, and a rebound. Tobenna Nweke added 16 points and an assist, while Nora Ezike, instrumental in the win over China, contributed 9 points and 8 rebounds. Abigail Isaac also impressed, finishing with 6 points and 7 rebounds.
Despite the loss, Nigeria progresses to the classification rounds of the tournament, where they await confirmation of their next opponent. The team will look to regroup and build on the positives from their spirited group-stage performances as they head into the knockout phase.
