N igeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, suffered a second consecutive defeat in their pre-Olympics preparations, losing to Serbia by an 8-point margin, 70-62, on Sunday, July 21.
Under the guidance of coach Rena Wakama, the Nigerian team began the game with high hopes, aiming to improve on their performance from their first pre-Olympics friendly, where they lost to Germany by 14 points, 77-63. Despite their initial enthusiasm, D’Tigress ended the first quarter trailing by 6 points, 21-15.
The second quarter saw the gap widen as Serbia extended their lead to a 10-point margin, leading 39-29 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Serbia asserted their dominance with a 10-point lead, 55-45, putting D’Tigress in a challenging position as they fought to mount a comeback in the final period.
Despite a determined effort by Nigeria to close the gap, Serbia managed to maintain their advantage and secure the victory.
D’Tigress will face Japan in their final friendly match on Wednesday, July 24. This loss to Serbia marks their second defeat in a row.
As they prepare for the Paris 2024 Olympics, D’Tigress will be making their third appearance at the games, having previously competed in Athens 2004 and Tokyo 2020. At both previous tournaments, Nigeria was unable to advance beyond the group stages.
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