Junior D’Tigress lose 79-61 to Portugal in final U-19 group game

Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress fell to a 79-61 defeat against Portugal in their final Group B game at the ongoing 2025 FIBA U-19 Women’s World Cup in Brno, Czech Republic. With this loss, Nigeria officially finished third in the group, while Portugal secured second place. Both teams, however, managed to avoid a round of 16 clash with tournament favorites, the United States. Portugal set the tone early, outscoring Nigeria 17-13 in the first quarter and 19-14 in the second, to take a nine-point lead into halftime at 36-27. Nigeria showed more aggression in the third quarter and matched Portugal 16-16, but the Europeans pulled away decisively in the final period, outscoring the Junior D’Tigress 25-16 to seal an 18-point win. On a day when most of the Nigerian players struggled to find their rhythm, Idubamo Beggi (168-PG-2006) stood out, finishing with a game-high 17 points, six assists, a game-high four steals, and two rebounds. Tobbend Weke also impressed with 16 points, while More Ezike contributed nine points and eight rebounds. Portugal’s Clara Silva (201-C-2006) was named the Most Valuable Player, registering a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds to lead her side to their second win of the tournament in their debut campaign. Leonor Peixinho (184-C-2006) added 16 points, Marta Rodrigues (168-F-2006) had 14, and Maria Andorinha chipped in 11 points. Nigeria struggled with their shooting, making just 18 of 57 attempts from the field (31.6%) and converting only 61% of their free throws. The team also turned the ball over 20 times. The Junior D’Tigress will now face either Israel or Hungary in the round of 16.
Courtesy of: boldsportsng.com