China's D'Tigress eye clean sweep after second pre-World Cup win over Nigeria

China's national women's basketball team, D'Tigress, secured a second consecutive victory over Nigeria's D'Tigress, winning the exhibition match 69-65 in Haikou. The hosts mounted a significant comeback, overcoming an eight-point deficit in the final quarter to clinch the win.

Nigeria had appeared to be in control after a strong third-quarter performance, where they hit five three-pointers to build a 54-46 lead. However, China responded decisively in the final period. Tang Ziting ignited the comeback with China's first three-pointer of the game, later tying the score at 54-54. Centre Zhang Ziyu proved dominant inside, while Wang Siyu sealed the victory with crucial free throws in the closing seconds.

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As seven of their players competed at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, it was a good test for our young team. We need to build chemistry and draw experience from these games. We need to connect well against such a high-pressure defence.

Tang finished with nine points, and the 19-year-old Zhang recorded a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds, a marked improvement from her performance in the first game. Despite Nigeria's physical defense and competitive play, China capitalized on their opportunities, even as they committed 19 turnovers compared to Nigeria's 14.

China's head coach, Gong Luming, acknowledged the value of playing against a Nigerian team with considerable Olympic experience. He believes these games provide essential preparation for his young squad ahead of the FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin next month. The series is part of Nigeria's "Road to Berlin" preparation program, with the final game scheduled for Wednesday in Foshan.

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Compared with the first game, we improved our rebounding today, but our turnovers were still high. We hope to improve that in the next game.