Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress announced their arrival on the world stage with a stunning 93–88 comeback victory over China in their debut appearance at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Led by a second-half scoring explosion from Nora Ezike, who dropped all 25 of her points after halftime, the young Nigerian side overcame early struggles to record a landmark win against one of the tournament favourites.
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Despite falling behind 24–16 in the first quarter and trailing 44–38 at halftime, the African champions regrouped after the break with renewed intensity.
Their breakthrough came from long range, as they made their first successful three-pointer on the final shot of the second quarter — after missing 15 straight from deep.
From there, it was all about resilience and momentum. Nigeria outscored China 55–44 in the second half, powered by Ezike’s dominance and a revitalised team effort on both ends of the floor.
The defense stepped up to limit China’s offensive rhythm, while the offense began finding range and fluidity.
The win marks a historic milestone for Junior D’Tigress, not only securing their first-ever World Cup win but also sending a strong message to the global basketball community about Nigeria’s growing talent pipeline.
Nigeria will face Canada in their second Group B fixture on Sunday, July 13, aiming to build on this momentum and inch closer to the knockout rounds
