Nigeria’s U19 women’s basketball team, the Junior D’Tigress, has been eliminated from the championship contention at the 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Their journey for the ultimate prize concluded, and they are now set to compete in the classification matches for 9th to 12th place, commencing on Friday, July 18.
The Nigerian squad made a significant impact early in the tournament, achieving a landmark 93–88 victory over China in Group B.
This win marked a historical first for Nigeria at the U19 Women’s World Cup. Nora Ezike was pivotal in this success, contributing 25 points, with strong support from Idubamo Beggi, Tobenna Nweke, and Jessica Ajayi.
Following their opening triumph, the Junior D’Tigress faced stiffer opposition, experiencing defeats against Canada (42–113) and Portugal (61–79).
These contests, while challenging, offered crucial learning experiences for the youthful side. Finishing third in their group, Nigeria advanced to the Round of 16, where their title hopes were dashed by Hungary in a 50–77 loss.
The Junior D’Tigress now turn their focus to their classification encounter against Argentina.
The match is scheduled for Friday, July 18, 2025, at 3:00 PM. Argentina also enters this phase without a win from their three Group D games, aiming to conclude their tournament on a positive note.
A victory for Nigeria would set up a final game for 9th place against either Brazil or Korea.
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Beyond merely determining their final rank, these upcoming games represent an invaluable opportunity for the team’s ongoing development, to build confidence, and to round off their impressive debut appearance on the world stage with another win.
From their memorable opening win against China to testing themselves against some of the competition’s strongest teams, the Junior D’Tigress have undoubtedly left their mark in Brno.
Their upcoming match against Argentina offers one final chance to showcase the resilience and emerging talent that has characterised their World Cup campaign.
