Wakama challenges D'Tigress after Hungary defeat
Nigeria head coach Rena Wakama admitted D’Tigress failed to make the most of their opportunities after the African champions slipped to a 71–67 defeat against Hungary at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin.
Nigeria struggled to convert their chances throughout the contest, particularly from the free-throw line, where they made just 12 of 23 attempts.
“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.
The coach also acknowledged Hungary’s quality, with the European side shooting 51 per cent from the floor and using their size effectively to frustrate D’Tigress.
“They are a good team, they shot 51% from the floor, they have great size so that caused some issues for us, but they were playing super connected basketball and they stuck to their game plan,” she said.
Wakama, however, believes Nigeria must address their slow starts if they are to turn their performances around.
“My challenge for the team is start the game like it is everything. Our starts haven’t been that great. We are getting better, it is just finding our rhythm and finding our flow,” she added.
Captain Amy Okonkwo echoed her coach’s assessment, pointing to Hungary’s dominance on the boards and ability to establish their rhythm early.
“Hungary played very well, they out-rebounded us by a lot. They had their rhythm and we were trying to find our rhythm,” Okonkwo said.
Although Nigeria mounted a late fightback and briefly threatened to steal the game, Okonkwo admitted the team left themselves with too much ground to make up.
“I think we were able to find a glimpse of it towards the end but we weren’t able to come through with the win.”
Despite the setback, the D’Tigress captain remains confident there is more to come from the African champions.
“I still believe we have the spark in us. It just needs to translate on the floor and we can find it within ourselves and stay connected,” she said.
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