The African champions stayed in the contest for three quarters before South Korea pulled away in the fourth. The Koreans won the opening period 26-22, Nigeria responded by taking the second 23-22, and South Korea led 48-45 at half-time. After the break the visitors stretched the gap to 68-62 going into the final quarter, then outscored D’Tigress 31-19 to seal an 18-point win.
Park Ji-hyun led all scorers with 27 points. Kang Yi-seul added 20 points, including six three-pointers, as South Korea’s perimeter shooting and ball movement repeatedly punished Nigeria. The Koreans finished with far fewer turnovers and a heavy three-point advantage.
Captain Amy Okonkwo was Nigeria’s outstanding performer, finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists. She produced a 10-point burst in the third quarter that cut the deficit to 59-58, but the rally was not sustained. Murjanatu Musa recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Ezinne Kalu added 11 points and five assists, while Victoria Macaulay scored 10 points off the bench.
Turnovers proved costly. D’Tigress gave the ball away more than twice as often as South Korea and could not contain the Koreans once the fourth quarter opened up. Head coach Rena Wakama said the challenge had been defensive and insisted her side would bounce back. Okonkwo said South Korea moved the ball well and shot too freely for Nigeria to stop.
Nigeria qualified for the World Cup as 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket champions and were drawn in Group B with France, South Korea and Hungary. They face Hungary on Saturday at 1.15pm WAT at the Max-Schmeling-Halle, a fixture they need to win if they are to keep their knockout hopes intact before meeting France later in the group.