Nigeria’s U-19 women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, will be aiming to secure a strong finish to the group stage of the ongoing FIBA U-19 Women’s World Cup when they take on Portugal on Tuesday at 10:45 a.m. (Nigerian time) in Brno, Czechia.
Making their debut in the prestigious competition, the Coach Juliana Akhere-led side announced their arrival with a thrilling 93-88 victory over Asian powerhouse China.
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They struggled to replicate that performance in their second Group B fixture, falling 113-42 to North American giants Canada.
The result leaves Nigeria third in the group with three points — the same as Portugal — though the Europeans have a superior points differential.
China currently sit bottom of the group after suffering back-to-back defeats.
As the D’Tigress prepare for this pivotal encounter, attention will be on key players Nora Ezike, Idubamo Beggi, and team captain Wandoo Hembam to deliver another strong showing.
Nora Ezike, who recently committed to Stanford University, was a standout performer against China, notching 25 points with a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, alongside six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
However, she had a subdued outing against Canada, contributing just one point and nine rebounds.
Captain Wandoo Hembam emerged as Nigeria’s top scorer in the heavy defeat to Canada, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. The MFM Queens star will be relied upon once again to inspire the team against Portugal.
To prevail, Nigeria will need to address the 24 turnovers that proved costly against Canada and focus on executing more efficiently on both ends of the court. A win would likely see them finish second in the group, positioning them better for the knockout stage.
On the other hand, Portugal also celebrated their first-ever victory at the FIBA U-19 Women’s World Cup with a commanding 75-52 win over China.
Clara Silva, a former University of Kentucky player headed to TCU, was instrumental with a brilliant double-double performance of 25 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks.
Her dominant display in the paint placed her among the top 10 all-time for two-point field goals made in the tournament. Teammate Rita Nazario also contributed 13 points in the win.
Despite Portugal’s strengths, they too fell short against Canada in their opener (88-49), revealing weaknesses that Nigeria could exploit with the right game plan.
The 2025 FIBA U-19 Women’s World Cup features 16 teams divided into four groups. Each team plays three group matches in a round-robin format.
All 16 teams advance to the Round of 16, where cross-group matchups will determine who progresses to the quarterfinals. Winners move forward in the title race, while losers enter classification matches for 9th to 16th place.
D’Tigress will be hoping to make history by reaching the quarterfinals in their maiden outing and solidifying their status as a rising force in global women’s basketball.
