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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Sports

D'Tigresses Lose to France and Finish 2026 Women's Basketball World Cup Winless

From ThisDay · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • France beat Nigeria 111-56, leaving the African champions winless after four games at the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.
  • France made a record 22 three-pointers and led 65-26 at halftime, while Nigeria struggled to establish a rhythm.
  • Captain Amy Okonkwo and coach Rena Wakama said France exposed Nigeria's difficulties and that the team is rebuilding after its 2024 Olympic run.

Nigeria's D'Tigresses finished their 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup campaign without a win after France overwhelmed them 111-56 in Berlin. The defeat completed a difficult four-game tournament for the African champions.

France imposed its pace from the opening tip, racing to a 31-point first quarter and adding 34 more in the second. The French team led 65-26 at halftime, then scored another 30 points in the third quarter before easing off in the final period.

It was a tough game. France is a great team. We saw that at the 2024 Olympics, and we've seen it throughout the qualifiers.

· Amy OkonkwoNigeria's captain acknowledged France's quality after the defeat.

France made a record 22 three-pointers, surpassing its previous World Cup best of 15 against Hungary and Japan's previous tournament mark of 20. Gabby Williams and Marine Johannes combined for eight three-pointers from 11 attempts in the first half, while France's 65 points represented its highest first-half total in a Women's World Cup game. Williams also became the first French player to make six three-pointers in a game at the tournament.

They came out to play today. Again, I think we just struggled to find our rhythm early and weren't able to get the win or really stop them.

· Amy OkonkwoOkonkwo explained Nigeria's problems during the game.

For Nigeria, the result underlined the distance between the current team and the squad that reached the quarter-finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Captain Amy Okonkwo said France's quality prevented Nigeria from settling into the contest. "It was a tough game. France is a great team. We saw that at the 2024 Olympics, and we've seen it throughout the qualifiers," Okonkwo said. "They came out to play today. Again, I think we just struggled to find our rhythm early and weren't able to get the win or really stop them."

Coach Rena Wakama said the team could not rely on the achievements of the Olympic squad. "A lot of people saw what we did in 2024, and the reality of where we are today is that we're in a rebuilding process," Wakama said. She added that connection within the team and staff remained a major issue.

A lot of people saw what we did in 2024, and the reality of where we are today is that we're in a rebuilding process.

· Rena WakamaThe coach described the current team as being in transition.
About this summary

Originally published by ThisDay in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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