FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers: South Korea Stun D’Tigress 77-60 In Lyon

Nigeria’s D’Tigress suffered their inaugural defeat at the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Lyon, falling 77-60 to South Korea on Thursday. This loss arrived less than 24 hours after the Nigerian squad secured a commanding 70-37 victory over Colombia in their opening fixture.

South Korea delivered a disciplined performance, particularly in the final quarter, to overturn Nigeria’s historical dominance in this fixture. Prior to Thursday’s encounter, D’Tigress had emerged victorious in both previous meetings between the nations.

The Asian side commenced strongly, clinching the first quarter 20-16. Nigeria rallied in the second, with both teams matching point for point, resulting in a 16-16 tie for the period and leaving Korea with a slender 36-32 lead at half-time. The third quarter followed a similar pattern, with South Korea narrowly taking it 22-19 to extend their advantage heading into the final stretch. Nigeria’s hopes of a comeback dwindled in the fourth as the Koreans tightened their defence, outscoring D’Tigress 19-9 to seal a 17-point victory.

Nigeria struggled offensively throughout the match, particularly from long range, converting only 4 of 17 three-point attempts (24% accuracy) and shooting 40% on two-point attempts (18 of 45). In contrast, South Korea displayed greater efficiency inside the arc, converting 16 of 26 two-point attempts for an impressive 58% success rate. They also maintained a solid presence at the free-throw line, sinking 14 of 19 attempts.

In terms of overall team play, South Korea dominated several statistical categories, recording 47 rebounds to Nigeria’s 34, and registering 29 assists, more than double Nigeria’s total of 14. The Koreans also edged the steals category with eight compared to Nigeria’s five.

Despite the defeat, a few Nigerian players delivered notable individual performances. Victoria Macaulay led D’Tigress with 22 points, building on her strong outing against Colombia where she was named Most Valuable Player. Veteran guard Ezinne Kalu added 11 points, while Murjanatu Musa contributed 10 points for the Nigerian side.

This fixture held historical significance as the third meeting between the two teams. Nigeria had previously won both earlier encounters, securing a 68-64 victory in a placement match at the 2004 Olympic Games before edging Korea 70-69 during the Olympic qualifying tournament in 2016. That 2016 contest remains memorable for Nigerian fans, with Kalu scoring the decisive late basket that sealed the narrow win.