D’Tigress head coach Rena Wakama has attributed Nigeria’s early exit from the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup to slow starts in their first two Group B matches, admitting their late resurgence against Hungary came too late to save their campaign.
Nigeria’s World Cup journey ended after a 71–67 defeat to Hungary on Saturday, their second consecutive loss following the 99–81 opening-day defeat to South Korea. The result left the reigning African champions without a victory from their first two matches and ended their hopes of progressing from the group.
Wakama said the team repeatedly found itself chasing games after failing to establish the required rhythm from the opening minutes.
“My challenge for the team is to start the game like it is everything. Our starts haven’t been that great. We are getting better, it is just finding our rhythm and finding our flow.”
Against Hungary, Nigeria fell 21–13 in the opening quarter before going into halftime trailing 36–26. Although D’Tigress improved considerably after the break and outscored Hungary 25–19 in the final quarter, the late rally was not enough to overturn the deficit.
Wakama also pointed to missed opportunities as another major factor behind the defeat, particularly Nigeria’s struggles from the free-throw line.
D’Tigress finished the game just 12 of 23 from the free-throw line, while Hungary shot 51 per cent from the field and used their size and rebounding advantage to maintain control for long periods.
“It’s tough when your shots weren’t falling. I thought we had great looks in the first half, really good looks. We got to the free-throw line but finished the game shooting 12-23 from the free-throw line. We just weren’t able to get it done today.”
The Nigerian coach, however, acknowledged that there had been improvement from the opening defeat to South Korea, particularly in ball security. D’Tigress reduced their turnovers significantly against Hungary, but the improvement was not enough to compensate for their slow start and missed chances.
Captain Amy Okonkwo, who led Nigeria with 17 points and six rebounds, also admitted that Hungary’s control of the boards made the contest difficult for D’Tigress.
“Hungary played very well, they outrebounded us by a lot. They had their rhythm and we were trying to find our rhythm. I think we were able to find a glimpse of it towards the end, but we weren’t able to come through with the win.”
Despite the disappointment, Okonkwo insisted that the team still possesses the quality and fighting spirit to respond.
“I still believe we have the spark in us. It just needs to translate on the floor, and we can find it within ourselves and stay connected.”
The defeat marked a disappointing World Cup campaign for a Nigerian side that entered the tournament with considerable expectations after its historic run at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where D’Tigress became the first African team to reach the Olympic quarterfinals. Nigeria also arrived in Germany as reigning African champions after winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket.
For Wakama, the experience has exposed areas that must be addressed as Nigeria continues its development against the world’s best.
The coach had earlier challenged the team to improve its decision-making and ball security after the opening loss to South Korea, and while there was visible progress against Hungary, Nigeria ultimately paid the price for another slow beginning.
D’Tigress will now face France in their final Group B game, with the match providing an opportunity for Nigeria to end the tournament on a positive note despite already being eliminated from contention for the next phase.
Two games. Two defeats. One recurring problem.
For Wakama, the lesson from Berlin is clear: against the world’s best, D’Tigress cannot afford to wait until the final quarter before finding their rhythm.
