Nigeria’s U19 women’s basketball team, the Junior D’Tigress, have ended their journey in the 2024 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup. They were knocked out after a 77–51 defeat to Hungary on Wednesday, July 16, in Czechia.
The Nigerian girls started the game on a strong note, keeping things even in the first quarter, which ended 9–9. But Hungary picked up pace in the second quarter, scoring 30 points while Nigeria only managed 12. That gave the European team a strong lead going into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Junior D’Tigress tried to close the gap. They put up a better fight, scoring 15 points compared to Hungary’s 16. Unfortunately, the difference from the second quarter was too much to catch up on.
Hungary kept their lead in the fourth quarter and slightly edged Nigeria by 16–15 in points. That final push secured the win for the Hungarians.
Kinga Jisepovits led Hungary with an impressive 19 points, while Eliza Farbas made 13 rebounds. For Nigeria, Tobenna Nweke scored 12 points and Francis Chukwu grabbed 9 rebounds.
Although they didn’t make it past the round of 16, Nigeria still made history. This year, the Junior D’Tigress became the first African team ever to win a match and reach the round of 16 at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup.
