Pius Ayinor
D’Tigress have turned their attention to Thursday’s game against Korea in the FIBA 2026 World Cup qualifiers after their resounding 70-37 win over Colombia in their opening match on Wednesday.
The Nigerian queens and the Koreans are not totally new opponents, as it was with Colombia. The Asians will be hoping for an improved performance after losing their first game to Germany and having lost to D’Tigress twice in their previous meetings.
The Nigerian women’s team has met the Koreans twice in the past – both coming at the Olympics games at the Athens 2004 Olympics (68-64) and in the 2016 Olympic qualifiers (70-69). D’Tigress won the game with a three-pointer buzzer shot from Ezinne Kalu as the clock wound up. The Koreans will surely not be a pushover when both teams meet again at the Villeurbanne Arena in Lyon, France.
D’Tigress point guard Elizabeth Balogun, who had an impressive 7.4 rating in the game against Colombia, said the Koreans will be a tougher opponent than the Colombians, but they will be fully prepared and ready for the challenge.
“We respect every opponent we come across, and the Koreans are particularly very athletic, which is one of their major strengths, but we will not take them for granted at all,” she said.
The Rene Wakama’s team dominated the game from the first to the fourth quarter against Colombia, employing a well-designed defensive play. This same technique will be applied to the Koreans, who have a better rating. Nigeria is rated number 8 in the FIBA ranking, while Colombia and South Korea are 19th and 15th, respectively. Whichever way, the game will be an interesting one against a very disciplined Korean side.
Extrasportnigeria.com predicts a win for the Nigerian ladies.
Extrasportnigeria 
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