Nigeria’s D’Tigress showed championship performance as they brushed aside Colombia in their opening game of the FIBA Women’s World Cup qualification tournament in Lyon on Wednesday with a 33-point margin win.
Rene Wakama’s team dominated the game from the first to the fourth quarter, recording a convincing 70-37 win.
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Forward Victoria Macaulay won the game’s most valuable player, scoring 13 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist.
Meanwhile, as the games come thick and fast, the Nigerian girls have quickly switched their attention to their next game against South Korea on Thursday.
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The Koreans, who are not entirely new opponents for the Nigerian team, will be hoping for an improved performance after losing their first game to Germany.
The Nigerian women’s team has met the Koreans twice in the past- both coming at the Olympic Games qualifiers in 2016 and 2004.
Though Nigeria holds the lead in head-to-head meetings, winning both games 70-69 in 2016 and 68-64 in 2004, the Koreans will surely not be a pushover when the teams meet again at the Villeurbanne Arena.
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 Colombian,s, but they will be fully prepared and ready for the challenge.
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” 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.
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