Basketball: D’Tigress defeat Colombia 70–37 in World Cup qualifier

D’Tigress began their campaign at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament with a dominant 70–37 victory over Colombia women’s national basketball team.

The game, played in France, saw the Nigerian side deliver a commanding performance to secure their first win of the tournament. Nigeria started strongly, taking an 18–12 lead in the opening quarter. Colombia responded with a better second-quarter display, edging that period 17–16, but still trailed heading into halftime.

The reigning African champions completely took control in the second half. D’Tigress outscored Colombia 19–5 in the third quarter and 17–3 in the fourth, sealing a convincing 33-point victory. The win marked the 14th victory for head coach Rena Wakama since she took charge of the team in 2023.

Under Wakama, the team has played 18 competitive matches, recording 14 wins and four defeats. She also guided Nigeria to the 2023 and 2025 titles at the FIBA Women’s Afrobasket. D’Tigress are currently ranked eighth in the world by FIBA, reflecting their consistent progress in international competitions.

One of their most notable achievements remains reaching the quarter-finals of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. In the match against Colombia, Nigeria controlled the pace with aggressive defence and efficient transition play.

Victoria Macaulay led the scoring for D’Tigress with 13 points, delivering the performance in just over 14 minutes on the court. Ifunaya Okoro also reached double figures, contributing 10 points after playing more than 28 minutes.

Colombia struggled to penetrate Nigeria’s organised defence and managed to score only eight points in the entire second half, highlighting D’Tigress’ defensive discipline. Nigeria will face South Korea women’s national basketball team in their next group match scheduled for Thursday as they continue their campaign in France.