D’Tigress head coach Rena Wakama has praised South Korea for their impressive team chemistry and disciplined approach following Nigeria’s defeat in their opening game of the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin.
Nigeria suffered a tough 99–81 loss to South Korea, despite making a strong start to the contest and briefly taking the lead during the game.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Wakama acknowledged the quality of the Korean side, particularly their understanding of each other’s roles and their ability to execute their game plan with purpose.
Wakama said South Korea’s cohesion made it difficult for Nigeria, especially when the D’Tigress struggled to maintain defensive communication.
“I gotta go sit and watch them practice. I commend them a lot, but they play together, they know what they wanna do, they are very intentional with what they wanna do,” Wakama said.
The coach stressed that against a well-organised team like South Korea, defensive discipline and communication have to be at their highest level.
“So if your defense is not clicking that day and your communication is not clicking, it is going to be a long night. Huge credit to Korea.”
South Korea took control of the game through a consistent offensive display, outscoring Nigeria 26–22 in the first quarter, 22–23 in the second, 20–17 in the third and 31–19 in the final period.
For D’Tigress, the defeat provides an early lesson as they return to the Women’s Basketball World Cup after an eight-year absence.
Wakama and her players will now look to regroup quickly, address the defensive lapses and improve their communication ahead of their next Group B assignment.
Despite the disappointing opening result, the Nigerian coach’s assessment of South Korea highlights the areas D’Tigress must improve if they are to compete strongly against the world’s best teams and make a deep run in the tournament.
