D’Tigress suffer second straight World Cup defeat against Hungary

D’Tigress came close to rescuing their World Cup campaign in the final quarter, but Hungary held on for a 71-67 victory in Berlin on Saturday.

Nigeria struggled from the opening minutes as Hungary moved ahead 21-13 after the first quarter. The European side kept control in the second period and took a 36-26 lead into halftime.

The pattern continued after the break, with Hungary still 10 points ahead at 52-42 entering the final period. Nigeria then produced its strongest spell of the game, outscoring Hungary 25-19 and briefly moving back into contention. The deficit, however, proved too large to erase.

Amy Okonkwo led Nigeria with 17 points, six rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes and 46 seconds. Ezinne Kalu added 11 points, three rebounds and nine assists, while Efe Balogun scored 13 points. Victoria Macaulay contributed 11 points off the bench, and Murjanatu Musa finished with 10 points and four rebounds.

The defeat leaves D’Tigress searching for their first tournament win after two games. Nigeria opened with an 81-99 loss to South Korea, despite Okonkwo’s 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists.