Nigeria’s female basketball team, D’Tigress, opened their FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign in Villeurbanne, France, with a commanding 70-37 victory over Colombia Women’s Basketball Team on Wednesday.
In what was the first-ever encounter between the two sides, coach Rena Wakama’s squad dominated throughout, including a decisive 16-0 run and strong performances in the third and fourth quarters, where Colombia managed only eight points combined.
While Nigeria has already secured a place at the FIBA World Cup, the team is participating in the qualifiers to boost ranking points. Forward Vitoria Macauley led the scorers with 13 points, while Nicole Enabosi contributed a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, alongside five assists.
Guard Ifunaya Okoro added 10 points, with Ezinne Kalu scoring eight and Elizabeth Balogun also making key contributions.
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Nigeria took the first quarter 18-12, but Colombia narrowed the gap to edge the second quarter 17-16. However, the third quarter proved pivotal, with Macauley and Okoro helping Nigeria tie the game at 27-27 before Enabosi’s layup put D’Tigress ahead. From there, Nigeria controlled the remainder of the match to secure a dominant win.
The victory extends D’Tigress’s winning streak to six matches. Their next fixture is against South Korea Women’s Basketball Team.