D’Tigress, Nigeria’s junior women’s basketball team, defeated China 93-88 in Czechia to start their 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup campaign.
After falling behind after the first quarter, the team battled back to win the next few quarters. Despite being viewed as the underdogs, D’Tigress surprised everyone by winning a well-earned match in an exciting match. China put Nigeria behind early in the game after winning the first quarter 24–16.
Nigeria responded by outscoring China 22–20 in the second quarter, reducing the deficit as the half approached. Nigeria took charge with a 23-16 performance in the third quarter, which changed the tide of the match in their favor.
The victory brought back memories of the senior D’Tigress team’s historic performance at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where they won two games. They also became the first African team to advance to the Olympic Quarterfinals thanks to that performance. When Nigeria plays Canada on Sunday in their upcoming Group B match, they hope to continue this momentum.
