Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress suffered their second defeat of the FIBA Under-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, falling 61-79 to Portugal on Monday afternoon in Brno, Czech Republic.
Despite standout performances from Idumagbo Beggi (17 points) and Toby Nweke (16 points), the Nigerian side struggled to keep pace with a composed Portuguese team at the Sportovní hala Vodova arena.
The defeat comes just a day after the D’Tigress endured a heavy 42-113 loss against Canada, compounding a tough group stage campaign that saw them finish third in Group B. Their lone victory came against China in their opening fixture, offering some positives in an otherwise challenging start to the tournament.
With the group stage now concluded, Nigeria has avoided a dreaded Round of 16 clash against reigning champions USA, who topped Group A. Instead, Coach Juliana Negedu’s team will now take on the runners-up from Group A, which will be one of Hungary, Israel, or South Korea, depending on the final standings.
The Round of 16 game is scheduled for Tuesday, with a potential quarterfinal showdown against either Canada or Brazil awaiting should Nigeria progress.
The D’Tigress U19 team will look to regroup and build on the individual brilliance of Beggi and Nweke while aiming to tighten their defense and improve their transitions in the knockout stages.
Despite back-to-back losses, the Junior Tigresses remain one of the exciting young teams in the tournament, and their resilience in the face of elite competition continues to earn admiration.
