Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress wrapped up their group stage campaign at the ongoing FIBA U-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Brno, Czech Republic, with a 79-61 defeat to Portugal on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
The result confirmed Nigeria’s third-place finish in Group B, behind table-toppers Canada and second-placed Portugal.
After opening their debut appearance at the tournament with a thrilling 93-88 win over China—powered by a stellar performance from Nora Ezike—the Nigerian girls suffered a heavy 113-42 loss to Canada in their second game. The final group game against Portugal proved another stern test, with the European side pulling away to secure an 18-point victory.
Despite the defeat, several Nigerian players stood out with solid individual performances. Idubamo Beggi led the scoring with 17 points, alongside 1 rebound and 6 assists. Tobenna Nweke added 16 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist to keep Nigeria in the contest, while Nora Ezike, who had starred in the opener against China, chipped in with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Abigail Isaac also impressed with her contribution of 6 points and 7 rebounds, highlighting the team’s determined effort despite the loss.
With the group phase now complete, all 16 participating teams advance to the Round of 16, where Nigeria will face a team from Group A in the classification stage of the tournament.
Junior D’Tigress will now look to regroup and build on their historic win over China as they continue their campaign in the knockout rounds.
