Nigeria head coach Rena Wakama.
D’Tigress head coach Rena Wakama blamed her side’s poor start and missed opportunities for their 71-67 defeat to Hungary at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin on Saturday.
Nigeria struggled to find their rhythm early in the game and were also wasteful from the free-throw line, converting only 12 of 23 attempts as Hungary held on for their first Women’s World Cup victory in 28 years.
“It is tough when your shots weren’t falling. I thought we had great looks in the first half, really good looks. We got to the free-throw line but finished the game shooting 12-23 from the free-throw line. We just weren’t able to get it done today,” Wakama said.
Hungary took a 21-13 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 36-26 at half-time, before Nigeria improved after the break and mounted a late comeback.
