Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress are gearing up for a decisive round of 16 clash against Hungary today at the 2025 FIBA U-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, following a bumpy end to their group stage campaign.
The team, led by coach Juliana Akhere, suffered a 79-61 defeat to Portugal in their final Group B matchup on Tuesday.
The loss marks their second consecutive defeat after a bruising 113-42 rout at the hands of Canada.
Their only win came in an exciting opener where they edged past China 93-88, signaling early promise that eventually gave way to inconsistencies on both ends of the court.
Despite flashes of individual brilliance, the team’s collective struggles told the story: unforced turnovers, poor shooting from beyond the arc, and missed free throws cost them valuable momentum.
Portugal dominated three of the four quarters, with the third ending in a draw (18-18). The Portuguese side attempted 71 field goals, converting 28, while Nigeria could only convert 18 from 57 attempts.
Portugal also outclassed Nigeria in the stats department: 22 assists to Nigeria’s 13, 54 rebounds to 40, and seven blocks to just one.
Portuguese forward Clara Silva stood out with a double-double performance, notching 17 points and 14 rebounds, while teammates Leonor Peixinho, Marta Rodrigues, and Maria Andorinho also hit double figures in scoring.
Nigeria’s top performer was Idubamo Beggi of MFM Queens, who registered 17 points and six assists.
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Toby Nweke chipped in with 16 points, while Stanford’s Nora Ezike and Abigail Isaac added 9 and 6 points respectively.
Now, with the group stage behind them, Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress move forward as the third-placed team from Group B.
All 16 teams from the group phase have progressed to the knockout stage, with today’s clash against Hungary determining who advances to the quarterfinals.
A loss would send the team into the classification games for 9th to 16th places.
Hungary, who finished second in Group A behind the undefeated United States, will be no pushovers.
With two wins from three games, they’ll look to assert dominance over a Nigerian side still finding its rhythm.
Tip-off time is expected this evening in Brno as Nigeria’s young talents face a defining moment in their World Cup journey.