Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress have begun their 2025 FIBA U-19 Women’s Basketball Championship on a promising note, as they shocked the basketball world with a hard-fought 93-88 victory over China in their opening game in Brno, Czech Republic.
On Saturday, the Junior D’Tigress had a fantastic 3rd and 4th quarter, including an outstanding tail end of the 2nd Quarter to boot.
Assignment delivered in Czechia
Nigeria 93
China 88 pic.twitter.com/4WRkMv0DnV— DTigress (@DtigressNG) July 12, 2025
Nora Ezike was the standout hero for Nigeria, scoring all 25 of her points in the second half to lead the tournament debutants to their first-ever win at this level.
Both teams started strongly, but China edged the first quarter 24-16, taking advantage of Nigeria’s early foul troubles. The Junior D’Tigress responded with a more aggressive approach in the second quarter, winning it 22-20. However, China maintained a six-point advantage at halftime, leading 44-38.
At the break, Nigeria had struggled from beyond the arc, converting just one of 16 attempts (6.7%), compared to China’s three of nine (33.3%).
The team finally made their first three-pointer with the last shot of the half, setting the stage for a thrilling comeback after the interval.
