The dream run of Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup has come to an end.
On Wednesday night, July 16, they fell to Hungary 77–51 in the round of 16 in Czechia.
The young Nigerian side had started strong, holding Hungary to a 9–9 draw in the first quarter.
But the second quarter became the turning point. Hungary surged ahead, scoring 30 points while Nigeria managed just 12.
From then on, the Europeans never looked back.
In the third quarter, Nigeria fought back hard, scoring 15 points. Hungary, however, stayed ahead with 16 points.
The final quarter saw a near-even game, but Hungary edged it 16–15 to shut the door on any Nigerian hopes.
Hungary Dominant, But Nigeria Makes African History
Hungary’s Kinga Jisepovits led all scorers with 19 points, giving Nigeria no breathing space.
Her teammate, Eliza Farbas, added 13 rebounds, bossing the boards on both ends of the court.
For Nigeria, Tobenna Nweke stood tall, dropping 12 points in the game. Francis Chukwu also grabbed 9 rebounds to keep the team fighting.
While this defeat ends their tournament journey, the Nigerian girls have carved their names into basketball history.
They are the first African team to win a game and reach the round of 16 at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup.
“We may be out, but we’ve opened the door for African teams,” said one fan on social media.
“This is a moment every girl in Africa dreaming of basketball can hold on to.”
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