D’Tigress went to Berlin expecting to compete for a place in the knockout rounds. They returned without winning a game.
Nigeria lost 99-81 to South Korea, fell 71-67 against Hungary and ended the tournament with a 111-56 defeat to France.
Thile the results were disappointing, the performances raised even bigger concerns.
The Korea defeat changed everything
Nigeria’s group contained one of the tournament favourites in France, but the games against Korea and Hungary offered a realistic route into the next round.
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That made the opening defeat particularly damaging.
Korea made 14 three-pointers and shot 52 per cent from the field. Nigeria also committed 23 turnovers, gifting their opponents 28 points.
D’Tigress were only three points behind at halftime, but Korea pulled away with a 31-point final quarter.
For a team known for aggressive defence and forcing opponents into mistakes, Nigeria spent too much of the game being punished for their own.
Too much left for too late against Hungary
The Hungary match became a must-win game. Again, Nigeria started poorly.
Hungary led by 10 points at halftime and controlled most of the contest. D’Tigress finally came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 25 points and briefly taking the lead.
The comeback was not enough.
Nigeria led for only 24 seconds in the entire game and lost 71-67. Hungary shot 51 per cent from the field, compared to Nigeria’s 35 per cent, while Dorka Juhasz dominated inside with 19 points and 16 rebounds.
By the time D’Tigress found their rhythm, the damage had already been done.
France exposed the full gap
Nigeria needed an unlikely victory over France to remain in the tournament.
What followed was one of the heaviest defeats in D’Tigress history.
France scored at least 30 points in each of the first three quarters and led by as many as 61. They made a Women’s World Cup-record 22 three-pointers and shot 58 per cent from the field.
Nigeria lost by 55 points.
France are one of the best teams in the world, but the difference was too large to dismiss as simply losing to superior opposition.
D’Tigress could not protect the perimeter, struggled to create good shots and failed to impose the defensive pressure that has defined their best performances.
Preparation without continuity
Nigeria did not arrive in Berlin without preparation games. The team played in the United States, China and Spain, facing several strong opponents before the tournament.
The problem was that head coach Rena Wakama was unavailable for much of the programme because of her commitments with Chicago Sky. She reunited with the team only shortly before the World Cup began.
The warm-up results had already revealed defensive and organisational problems. With limited time together, the final squad could not correct them before the opening game.
That does not make Wakama solely responsible for what happened.
It does show that playing several preparation matches is not enough if the coach and complete squad are not together long enough to turn those games into useful lessons.
Paris raised the standard
D’Tigress’ Olympic quarter-final in Paris changed what Nigerians expect from the team.
They defeated Australia and Canada and became the first African women’s basketball team to reach the last eight at the Olympic Games.
Berlin does not erase that achievement. It does show that progress cannot be assumed.
Nigeria conceded 281 points across three World Cup matches and never looked like the disruptive, confident team that made history in Paris.
The NBBF must now conduct an honest review of the preparation programme, coaching arrangements, squad and performances.
D’Tigress remain African champions. They remain one of the strongest teams the continent has produced.
But Berlin showed that dominating Africa and competing with the world are two different demands. Nigeria must prepare for both.
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