Nigeria’s National Women’s Basketball Team, D’Tigress, have suffered their second consecutive defeat in a warm-up game against Serbia in Belgrade, as they intensify preparations for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
The match, which took place ahead of the scheduled Olympic basketball tournament in France, ended with a scoreline of 62-70 points in favour of Serbia, currently ranked 10th in the FIBA World rankings.
This defeat follows D’Tigress’ earlier loss to Germany by 63-77 points in Berlin last Friday.
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Coach Rena Wakama‘s ladies started slow, trailing Serbia by six points at the end of the first quarter, which concluded 21-15 in Serbia’s favour.
Serbia continued to dominate, extending their lead to ten points by halftime, with a score of 39-29 after winning the second quarter 18-14.
D’Tigress mounted a spirited comeback in the third quarter, matching Serbia with an 18-18 scoreline, and continued their resurgence in the final quarter, outscoring their opponents 15-13.
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Despite their efforts, Nigeria fell short as Serbia maintained an eight-point advantage until the final whistle.
Next in their schedule, the Nigerian team is set to face Japan in their final warm-up game on 24th July in Lille, France, just ahead of the commencement of the Olympic basketball event.
Nigeria will compete against Canada, and Australia, and host France in Group B at the Olympics.
