Nigeria women’s national basketball team head coach, Rena Wakama, has praised her players despite their narrow defeat to France women’s national basketball team at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
The African champions were beaten 93–86 by the hosts in their fourth game of the qualifying tournament in Lyon on Sunday.
Despite the loss, the encounter was widely considered D’Tigress’ most impressive performance of the tournament, with the Nigerian side pushing the hosts all the way in a closely contested game.
Wakama expressed pride in her team’s effort, noting that the players showed strong determination against one of the top sides in the competition.
Wakama Proud Of D’Tigress
“I am super proud of my team .if you want to beat the top teams , you have to be able to capitalise on this type of games.
“Obvious credit to the french team, they are a great team and I have a great team too. I can assure you that we will continue to grow and continue to learn as we aim towards our ultimate target”.
“If no one believes us I believe in us and that is one belief we all have in the locker room. So once again, credit to the team.”
The Nigerian coach added that the team will continue to improve as they build towards their long-term ambitions on the global stage.
