Nigeria’s D’Tigress began their FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign on a disappointing note after suffering a 99-81 defeat to South Korea at the Uber Arena in Berlin.
The African champions struggled to contain South Korea’s impressive shooting from beyond the arc, with the Asian side converting 14 of 28 three-point attempts to secure a convincing victory.
Nigeria started competitively, losing the opening quarter 26-22 before responding in the second period. D’Tigress outscored South Korea 23-22 to trail by just three points, 48-45, at halftime.
However, South Korea regained control after the break, winning the third quarter 20-17 before producing a decisive fourth-quarter performance.
The Koreans scored 31 points in the final period compared to Nigeria’s 19 to pull away and seal an 18-point victory.
Nigeria’s 23 turnovers also proved costly, with South Korea converting them into 28 points.
Amy Okonkwo was Nigeria’s top scorer with 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Murjanatu Musa recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Ezinne Kalu added 11 points, five assists and two steals, while Victoria Macaulay contributed 10 points.
South Korea were led by Jihyun Park, who finished with 27 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Leeseul Kang added 20 points, including six three-pointers, while Isaem Choi and Haeran Lee contributed 19 and 17 points respectively.
D’Tigress will now turn their attention to their second Group Phase game against Hungary on Saturday.
Victory will be crucial for Nigeria as they seek to recover from the opening-day defeat and keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages alive.
The team will need to improve its ball security, perimeter defence and shooting efficiency ahead of the encounter.
