Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, began their campaign at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament with a commanding 70–37 victory over Colombia on Wednesday at the L’Astroballe Arena in Lyon-Villeurbanne, France.
The African champions delivered a dominant performance on both ends of the floor, overpowering the South Americans to secure their first win of the tournament.
Despite a competitive opening half that saw Nigeria hold a 34–29 lead at halftime, D’Tigress raised their intensity after the break, shutting down Colombia’s offense and pulling away comfortably to seal a 33-point victory.
Amy Okonkwo led the Nigerian scoring with 18 points and six rebounds, spearheading the team’s offensive charge.
Nicole Enabosi and Victoria Macaulay each contributed 12 points, with Macaulay also adding four rebounds and two blocks from the bench.
Elizabeth Balogun chipped in 11 points and five rebounds, while veteran guard Ezinne Kalu orchestrated the offense with five assists.
The win marks the first-ever meeting between Nigeria and Colombia in women’s international basketball, with D’Tigress asserting their superiority throughout the contest.
Next Matches for Nigeria
Although Nigeria has already secured qualification for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin as African champions, the qualifiers provide an opportunity for the team to maintain its global ranking and fine-tune preparations ahead of the tournament.
