March 14, (THEWILL) — An electric second-half performance carried Nigeria’s D’Tigress to a 101-84 victory over the Philippines at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament on Saturday, at the Astroballe arena in Villeurbanne, France.
The African champions entered the interval trailing 42-51, having managed only 21 points in each of the first two quarters while the Philippines built their advantage through accurate shooting from beyond the arc.
Murjanatu Musa led all scorers with 24 points in a dominant second-half display that yielded 59 points for Nigeria, including 34 in the third quarter alone to wrest control of the contest. Angelica Surada’s 19 points were the best the Philippines could offer in reply, but the D’Tigress held their opponents to just 12 in the final period and stretched their biggest lead to 20 points.
The result lifts Nigeria’s record to 2-1 in the group, following an opening win over Colombia and a narrow defeat to South Korea. The D’Tigress, already confirmed for the 2026 World Cup in Berlin, are using the qualifying tournament primarily for preparation against high-level international opposition.
Nigeria’s shooting efficiency of 47 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range proved decisive against the Philippines, who converted only 39 percent of their attempts. The D’Tigress face France and Germany in their remaining group fixtures, providing further opportunity to build form ahead of the global tournament later this year.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
