African champions Nigeria women’s national basketball team delivered a strong and competitive performance but fell narrowly 93–86 to host nation France women’s national basketball team at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournament in Lyon on Sunday.

 

The Nigerian side recovered from a slow start in the first half to stage a spirited comeback, winning the third quarter 21–15 points. However, the effort was not enough to overturn France’s advantage, despite D’Tigress edging the fourth quarter 21–20 in a tense finish that kept the home crowd on edge.

 

Team captain Amy Okonkwo, who recently returned to action after months out with injury, led Nigeria’s scoring with 16 points and two rebounds.

 

She was supported by strong contributions from Elizabeth Balogun, Mujarnatu Musa and Ezinne Kalu, who recorded 15, 15 and 14 points respectively, helping to keep the contest closely fought throughout.

 

Sunday’s clash against France was widely regarded as Nigeria’s most impressive performance so far in the tournament, with head coach Rena Wakama expressing pride in her team despite the defeat.

 

“I am super proud of my team. If you want to beat the top teams, you have to be able to capitalise on games like this,” Wakama said.

 

“Obvious credit to the French team—they are a great team and I have a great team too. I can assure you that we will continue to grow and continue to learn as we aim towards our ultimate target.

 

“If no one believes in us, I believe in us and that is one belief we all have in the locker room. So once again, credit to the team,” she added.

 

Captain Okonkwo also spoke about the challenge of playing in front of a packed home crowd at the Villeurbanne Sports Arena.

 

“This is not the first time we are playing France in France. We played them at the Olympics here and also before the Olympics,” she said.

 

“To be fair, we are used to that factor, but as a team we know what is expected of us. We know we have to stay together when the crowd are doing their thing. We keep fighting and sticking with each other and that is what we always do.”

 

The qualification tournament will conclude on Tuesday, with D’Tigress set to face another European powerhouse, the Germany women’s national basketball team, who will also host the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. The match is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. Nigerian time.