Junior D’Tigress Wrap Up FIBA U-19 World Cup Journey in 12th Place After China Loss
Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress concluded their maiden appearance at the 2025 FIBA U-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup with a 96–71 loss to China on Sunday, settling for a 12th-place finish in Brno, Czechia.
The final classification game marked a rematch between both sides, who had earlier clashed in the group stage, where Nigeria pulled off a stunning 93–88 upset over the Asian side.
But this time, China flipped the script, dominating the first three quarters 26–14, 30–21, and 23–18. Nigeria managed to edge the final quarter 18–17, but the damage had already been done.
Despite their best efforts, the Coach Juliana Akhere-led team struggled to match China’s efficiency.
Nigeria recorded 79 field goal attempts with only 24 made, while China converted 32 of their 67 shots. Both sides were nearly even in rebounds Nigeria with 49 and China with 48 but the Chinese side led significantly in assists, posting 33 compared to Nigeria’s 16.
Top performers for Nigeria included Idubamo Beggi, who delivered 18 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Nora Ezike added 12 points and nine rebounds, while captain Wandoo Hembam, Abigail Isaac, and Momoluwa Tewogbade also posted solid individual stats.
For China, Ran Kejia led all scorers with a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds. Li Yuqian added 19 points, with Li Yonglin contributing 11.
Nigeria’s U-19 team wrapped up the tournament with two wins out of seven matches. They defeated Argentina and China in earlier stages but suffered losses against Canada, Portugal, Hungary, South Korea, and China in the knockout and classification rounds.
As the curtain falls on the Czechia tournament, attention now shifts to the next edition of the global youth competition, which will be hosted in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2027.
