D’Tigress suffer narrow defeat to China in exhibition opener
August 8, 2026 12:43 am
D’Tigress
By Peter Akinbo
Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, began their exhibition series in China with a narrow 70-67 defeat to the hosts in Haikou on Friday, as the reigning African champions opened the second stage of their build-up to the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
The five-time consecutive African champions matched China for long periods in a closely contested encounter before falling three points short at the final buzzer.
Despite the defeat, head coach Rena Wakama will be encouraged by her side’s performance against the world’s fourth-ranked team, with D’Tigress set for another test when the two sides meet again in their second exhibition game on Saturday, August 9.
The China leg forms part of a five-stop preparation programme titled “Road to Berlin,” which began with games in the United States from July 29 to August 2 before the squad flew directly to Haikou aboard the Nigeria Basketball Federation’s airline partner, XEJet.
Federation president Ahmad Musa Kida said facing a disciplined Chinese side in front of a large home crowd would help the team adjust to the intensity they will face at the World Cup, while also offering Nigeria commercial exposure through live broadcast on China Media Group.
From China, D’Tigress will proceed to Tenerife, Spain, from August 15 to 24 for games against the hosts and Belgium, before a further stop in Zaragoza from August 25 to September 3 for tune-up matches against Mali and Puerto Rico.
The team will then head to Berlin for the FIBA Women’s World Cup, running from September 4 to 13, where they have been drawn in Group B alongside Korea Republic, Hungary and France.
Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories
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