Nigeria’s D’Tigress began their 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying campaign on a strong note, cruising to a commanding 70–37 victory over Colombia at the Astroballe Arena in Lyon, France on Wednesday.
Heading into the tournament ranked eighth in the world, Nigeria were widely tipped to overcome Colombia, who came into the game ranked 19th globally, and the African champions lived up to expectations with a dominant performance.
Guard Promise Amukamara got Nigeria off the mark, scoring the first points of the game from the free-throw line before adding a layup under the basket to give D’Tigress an early advantage. Colombia’s Mabel Martinez responded with a three-pointer to register her team’s first points of the competition, but Nigeria maintained control to take the opening quarter 18–12.
The second quarter proved more competitive as both teams traded baskets in a closely contested spell. Colombia edged the period by a narrow margin, winning the quarter 17–16, but Nigeria still held the lead going into halftime.
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D’Tigress returned from the break with renewed intensity, opening the third quarter with an impressive 12–0 run that stretched their advantage. Nigeria continued to dictate the tempo and eventually outscored the South Americans 19–15 in the quarter to place the game firmly beyond reach.
The fourth quarter followed a similar pattern as the Nigerian side tightened their grip on the contest. Another blistering 13–0 run at the start of the final period sealed the result, with D’Tigress limiting Colombia to just three points in the quarter while scoring 17 to wrap up a convincing 70–37 victory.
Victoria Macaulay led the scoring for Nigeria with 13 points and six rebounds, while Nicole Enabosi recorded a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. Ifunnaya Okoro also added 10 points to cap a strong team performance for the African champions.
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