Nigeria’s Senior Women’s Basketball Team, D’Tigress have suffered a narrow 93–86 defeat to the host nation, France’s women’s national basketball team, at the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Lyon.

The hosts led from start to finish at the Astroballe arena on Sunday, March 15,  establishing early control and maintaining their advantage throughout the competitive encounter.

Nigeria, currently ranked eighth in the world, mounted a strong third-quarter push to cut the deficit, but France responded with a composed final period to preserve their lead and close out the game.

France maintained control during the decisive moments, preventing any lead change and ensuring Nigeria never went ahead throughout the contest.

The African champions delivered a spirited second-half performance but were unable to overturn their early deficit against the hosts, who were backed by a passionate home crowd.

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After a slow start in the first half, the Nigerian side bounced back strongly, winning the third quarter 21–15 and holding France to a tight contest in the fourth quarter, which ended 21–20.

France built the game’s largest lead of 19 points twice in the second quarter, first at 54–35 and again at 57–38.

Nigeria never held the lead, while the contest was tied for only 18 seconds. In the final 55 seconds, France outscored Nigeria 4–0 to seal the victory and maintain control.

Several Nigerian players delivered notable performances in the closely contested encounter.

Amy Okonkwo led the scoring effort with an efficient 16 points, converting six of her eight field-goal attempts.

The duo of Murjanatu Musa and Elizabeth Balogun combined for 30 points, providing important offensive contributions throughout the game.

Victoria Macaulay also impressed with 10 points before limping off in the fourth quarter, raising concerns about her fitness ahead of the team’s next fixture.