Nigeria’s D’Tigress lost their second straight game at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Group B, falling 71-67 to Hungary, who secured their first victory at the tournament in 28 years on Saturday in Berlin, Germany.
According to the official FIBA tournament breakdown, this historic triumph in Berlin marked Hungary’s first World Cup win since 1998, when they famously defeated China.
D’Tigress went into the contest on the back of their opening loss to South Korea (99-81), while Hungary, who had been heavily defeated by France (99-53) in their first game, secured their first World Cup win in 28 years.
Hungary controlled much of the encounter, building leads through stronger shooting efficiency (around 51% field goals overall in partial updates versus Nigeria’s lower percentage).
Juhasz and Takacs-Kiss combined for 36 points, providing the offensive spark Hungary needed to bounce back from their heavy 99-53 defeat to France in their opening game, as reported by FIBA. basketball.
The forward dominated from the opening tip, putting together a powerful 13-point, 11-rebound first half as Hungary established control of the game.
D’Tigress found a way to regain some momentum, but Hungary never allowed their advantage to disappear. They held a comfortable lead for most of the second half, keeping Nigeria at a distance and maintaining a lead that remained around the 10-point mark.
A major part of Hungary’s success came in the paint. They dominated the battle down low at both ends of the floor, scoring 42 points in the paint while collecting 38 defensive rebounds, repeatedly denying Nigeria second-chance opportunities and controlling the interior.
Ranked 19th in the FIBA World Rankings and Nigeria 8th, Hungary became the second team of the day to produce a major upset, following Mali’s stunning takedown of Spain earlier in the day.
D’Tigress must now defeat France in their final group game on Monday, September 7, to have a chance of advancing to the knockout round.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
