Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress will lock horns with Hungary today in the round of 16 of the ongoing 2025 FIBA Under 19 Women’s World Cup in Brno, Czechia, as the knockout phase begins following the conclusion of the group stage.
The Nigerian girls lost their final group match 79 to 61 against Portugal on Tuesday, finishing third in Group B with one win and two losses. The defeat came after an earlier heavy loss to Canada, where the team fell 113 to 42 in their second group outing.
Despite the setbacks, the Junior D’Tigress had started their debut campaign in the tournament on a high note with a spirited 93 to 88 victory over China. However, the loss to Portugal saw the team’s early momentum slowed as they struggled in several aspects of their game.
The 2024 FIBA Under 18 Women’s AfroBasket runners-up were hampered by turnovers, poor perimeter shooting, missed free throws, and defensive lapses. Portugal controlled most of the game, winning three out of the four quarters, while the third quarter ended in a stalemate at 18 points apiece.
Portugal attempted 71 field goals compared to Nigeria’s 57 and converted 28 of those shots, while Nigeria only managed 18. The Europeans also dominated in assists with 22, pulled down 54 rebounds, and recorded 14 steals and seven blocks. In contrast, Nigeria posted 13 assists, 40 rebounds, 10 steals and only one block.
Clara Silva, a former Kentucky player now bound for Texas Christian University, led Portugal with a dominant performance, finishing with a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds. She was ably supported by Leonor Peixinho who scored 16 points, Marta Rodrigues with 14, and Maria Andorinho with 11.
For Nigeria, Idubamo Beggi of MFM Queens delivered a standout performance with 17 points and six assists. Toby Nweke followed closely with 16 points, while Stanford University’s Nora Ezike and teammate Abigail Isaac added nine and six points respectively.
All 16 teams at the tournament automatically advanced to the round of 16 after the round-robin group stage. Nigeria’s next opponent, Hungary, finished second in Group A behind the United States, who topped the group with three wins. Hungary registered two wins and one loss, while Israel placed third and Korea Republic finished without a win.
Victory in the match against Hungary will propel Nigeria into the quarter-finals, while a loss will relegate them to the classification rounds for teams contesting places 9 to 16. As the tournament enters its decisive stage, all eyes will be on the young D’Tigress to bounce back and reignite their campaign with a strong performance against their European opponents.
