Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, delivered a dominant performance to defeat Colombia women’s national basketball team 70–37 in their opening game of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026 in Lyon, France.
The reigning African champions produced a commanding display at the Astroballe Arena, controlling most of the contest to secure an emphatic win in their first outing of the tournament.
D’Tigress started the game with a lineup of Amy Okonkwo, Elizabeth Balogun, Promise Amukamara, Murjanatu Musa and Ezinne Kalu. Nigeria opened the scoring through Amukamara, who converted a free throw before adding a lay-up to give the African champions an early advantage. Colombia responded shortly after when Mabel Martinez knocked down a three-pointer to register her side’s first points of the contest.
The Nigerian side continued to assert themselves early, claiming the first quarter 18–12. Although Colombia managed to edge the second quarter 17–16, D’Tigress still held a 34–29 lead at halftime.
After the break, the team coached by Rena Wakama raised the intensity, dominating defensively while finding their rhythm offensively. Nigeria overwhelmed their opponents in the third quarter 19–5, before finishing the game in emphatic fashion by claiming the fourth quarter 17–3.
The victory was particularly notable as it marked the first-ever meeting between Nigeria and Colombia in women’s basketball, with D’Tigress stamping their authority throughout the encounter.
Colombia came into the tournament with growing reputation in South American women’s basketball, having recently climbed 11 places to 19th in the FIBA world rankings, but they struggled to match the pace, organisation and defensive discipline of the Nigerian side.
Victoria Macaulay led Nigeria’s scoring with 13 points and six rebounds in just 14 minutes, earning Player of the Match honours. Nicole Enabosi recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Ifunanya Okoro also contributed 10 points.
D’Tigress shot 40.6 per cent from the field, dominated the rebounds 51–31, and registered 23 assists, highlighting their strong teamwork and defensive discipline throughout the game.
The African champions will now turn their attention to their next Group D fixture against South Korea women’s national basketball team on March 12 as they continue their campaign in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2026.
