South Korea Humble D’Tigress in FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in France

*Igoche Mark urges the seven-time African  champions to stay focused 

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

 Nigeria’s senior national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, were humbled 70-66 by South Korea in their second Group A fixture of the ongoing 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup qualification tournament in Lyon-Villeurbanne, France on Thursday.

The seven-time Afrobasket champions who were also quarterfinalists at the last 2024 Olympic Games women’s basketball event, struggled with fouls and an off-day for key players. 

The Nigerian team was a complete reverse of the squad that hammered Colombia 70-37 in their opening match of the qualifiers in Lyon. 

This, the South Koreans capitalised upon to snatch victory. With near- perfect superior three-point shootings, Korea led 36-32 at halftime.

Scores in all the four quarters read like this: Q1 16-20,  Q2 16-16,  Q3 19-22, and  Q4 09-19, leaving Rena Wakama and her D’Tigress red-faced with 60-77 defeat at the sound of the final buzzer inside the Astroballe Arena in Lyon.

It is however not over yet as Coach Wakama and her D’Tigress will look to bounce back in their next fixtures against Philippines, France, and Germany.

In his reaction to the defeat of the Nigerian ladies at the qualifiers, Igoche Mark, Promoter of the Mark D’ Ball Basketball Championship, urged the team to stay focused. 

“Don’t let this one setback bring you down. As I always say, ‘Champions aren’t made in the wins, they’re made in the losses.’ You’ve got this! You’ve shown your strength against Colombia, and now it’s time to regroup and refocus,” stressed Mark who is aiming to take over from Musa Kida as the next president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF).

Igoche added: “Fall down seven times, stand up eight times. Let’s use this as fuel to propel us forward. You’re not just playing for Nigeria, you’re playing for the future of Nigerian basketball. So, dust yourselves up and let’s get ready for the next one. “

Mark insisted that the “greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’ Let’s rise, D’Tigress!”