Despite a spirited fourth-quarter performance, Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress fell 85-79 to South Korea in the 9-12 classification game at the ongoing FIBA U-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Brno, Czech Republic, on Saturday.
The loss came a day after Nigeria earned a shot at a top-10 finish with a 68-58 win over Argentina in the 9-16 classification round.
South Korea’s dominance in the first and third quarters, outscoring Nigeria 20-15 and 27-18, respectively, proved crucial. Although the Junior D’Tigress edged the second quarter 19-16 and surged in the final period with a 22-17 run, it wasn’t enough to overturn the deficit.
For the second consecutive game, Wandoo Marvis Henbane led all scorers with 19 points, six rebounds, and a game-high three steals. Nora Ezike added 18 points and six rebounds, while Haminatu Ayodeji recorded the only double-double of the game, 10 points and 13 rebounds (seven offensive, six defensive).
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Nigeria, however, struggled to contain Korea’s balanced attack, led by Minji Lee (17 points, seven rebounds), Yunha Song (17 points, four rebounds, four blocks, two steals), Gahyun Lee (16 points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals, two blocks), and Hyun Jeong (12 points, five assists).
The Junior D’Tigress will face China in their final game of the tournament, battling for an 11th-place finish. Nigeria defeated China 93-88 in their opening game of the tournament.
So far, the team has registered two wins and four losses in six games at the World Cup.
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