D’Tigress guard Elizabeth Balogun has stressed the need for improvement following Nigeria’s defeat to Germany women’s national basketball team, noting that the team is using the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026 as preparation for the World Cup.
Despite the loss, Balogun made it clear that qualification is not at stake, as Nigeria already secured their spot at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup by winning the FIBA Women’s Afrobasket.
“This tournament is about getting better,” she said.
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Balogun explained that the game against Germany exposed areas the team must work on, particularly in execution and decision-making at key moments.
“We need to review the game, learn from our mistakes, and improve,” she added.
The Nigerian guard noted that facing top sides like Germany provides valuable experience, especially as the team prepares to compete against the best teams in the world.
She emphasized that the focus is not just on results, but on building chemistry, sharpening tactics, and growing as a unit.
“It’s about improving individually and as a team,” she said.
Balogun admitted that defeats like this are disappointing, but insisted they are part of the learning process.
With the pressure of qualification already off their shoulders, she believes D’Tigress can take more lessons from each game and fine-tune their performance ahead of the World Cup.
She concluded by assuring that the team will take the positives, correct their errors, and come back stronger in subsequent games.
