Nigeria’s D’Tigress launched their 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign with a statement win, crushing Colombia 70-37 in Lyon, France, on Wednesday.
The dominant performance sets a high bar for the senior team as they chase a spot on the world stage.
The African champions, coached by Rena Wakama, controlled proceedings across all four quarters at the Astroballe Arena.
An intense defensive setup featuring constant on-ball pressure and sharp rotations limited the South Americans to just 12 points in the opening period, giving Nigeria an 18-12 cushion.
The visitors stayed composed through the second stanza despite a brief Colombian rally, reaching halftime with a 34-29 advantage.
After the interval, Wakama’s tactical tweaks sparked total control as the Nigerians restricted their opponents to five points in the third quarter and surged to a 53-34 lead.
With their Thursday clash against South Korea now in focus at Villeurbanne Arena, D’Tigress point guard Elizabeth Balogun, who posted a strong 7.4 efficiency rating against Colombia, acknowledged the heightened challenge ahead.
“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 stated.
South Korea arrive seeking redemption after falling to Germany in their own opening fixture, yet the two nations have crossed paths twice before in Olympic qualifiers, with Nigeria prevailing 70-69 in 2016 and 68-64 in 2004.
Victoria Macaulay earned player-of-the-game honours after coming off the bench to tally 13 points, six rebounds and one assist, igniting the team’s transition game.
Nicole Enabosi contributed a double-double in points, rebounds and assists, while the squad’s collective depth and relentless rebounding fuelled second-chance opportunities.
Although three-point accuracy remained modest, the balanced attack and unselfish passing proved decisive against a Colombian outfit that shot a dismal 22 percent from the field.
A decisive 13-0 scoring surge early in the fourth quarter sealed the outcome, as Nigeria added 17 points while holding Colombia to just three.
The second-half clampdown was even more telling, with the South Americans managing only eight points total after the break.
The performance mirrored Wakama’s emphasis on battling for every possession, using disciplined defence to generate fast-break chances and highlighting the squad’s growing chemistry as they eye progression toward the 2026 World Cup.
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