Former Nigerian international Theresa Mac-Dangosu has praised the performance of Nigeria women’s national basketball team despite their 77–60 defeat to the South Korea women’s national basketball team in their second game of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026 in France.
Nigeria had begun the tournament on a strong note with a commanding 70–37 victory over the Colombia women’s national basketball team, a performance Mac-Dangosu said demonstrated the team’s strong chemistry and defensive discipline.
According to the former international, D’Tigress showed impressive cohesion despite the fact that many of the players had been competing in different leagues around the world before regrouping for the qualifiers.
“The team showed good chemistry considering the players have been in different leagues for months,” Mac-Dangosu said.
She particularly highlighted Nigeria’s defensive performance in the win over Colombia, noting that the African champions tightened their grip on the game in the second half.
“Their defense in the second half was outstanding,” she added.
Mac-Dangosu pointed out that Colombia managed to score just eight points in the entire second half, a statistic she believes underlined Nigeria’s defensive organization.
However, D’Tigress struggled to replicate the same level of dominance in their next game as Korea capitalized on key moments to secure a 77–60 victory.
Despite the defeat, Mac-Dangosu believes the Nigerian side still has the quality to bounce back in the tournament.
“These games are important for building rhythm and understanding within the team,” she said.
She added that the experience gained from both games will help the players and coaching staff make adjustments as the tournament progresses and as Nigeria continues its push for a place at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
