Nigeria's D'Tigress finished their WNBA tour with three losses, but the focus was on evaluating the team's standing ahead of the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and integrating new players. Key takeaways include the importance of size and the emergence of promising rookies, alongside strong performances from veterans Kalu and Kunaiyi-Akpanah.
Nigeria's D'Tigress rounded up their historic three-game WNBA Tour suffering what, on the face of it, was a devastating set of three defeats. But it was less about winning and more about measuring themselves team against top competition.
While going 0-3 may look bad at first glance, it should not be the story of the tour. This was about finding out where this team stands with less than two months to go until the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup tips off in Berlin.
It was also about integrating and assessing the next generation, the players who would be the future of the team, as a posse of about a dozen rookies from various NCAA programs in the USA were invited for their first taste of international basketball. And after three games, some parts of that picture appear to be more than clear. The veterans are still running the show, but the future is genuinely exciting.
The Indiana game showed that size is a factor that that D'Tigress need to resolve. Berlin will be the first real test of whether those two things are converging fast enough. Here is what we learned from D'Tigress WNBA Tour. Kalu was the team's offensive engine, finishing as the team's leading scorer across the tour, with a total of 41 points.
Her 25-point masterclass against the Lynx, on 5-for-14 shooting with 12-for-14 from the free-throw line, was the individual highlight of the entire tour. When Kalu was neutralised or in foul trouble, Nigeria's offence looked like they had nowhere to go, and it showed against the Fever, where she was restricted to just eight points on 1-5 shooting, with 0-2 from downtown. Six of those points came from the free throw line.
Center Kunaiyi-Akpanah made her presence felt in the paint, weighing in with 28 points on 61% shooting in a total of 42 restricted minutes. Her Game 1 line, 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting including a drawn foul in just 10:14, was the most efficient individual performance of the entire three-game series. Amukamara was the team's most consistent defensive presence across all three games. Her 4 steals in Game 1 were a tour high for any player in a single game.
When Kalu, Kunaiyi-Akpanah and Amukamara did not bring it, the team suffered big losses. In the one game, against the Lynx, where both Kalu and Pallas scored in double digits, they only lost by nine points. One of the growing criticisms of the current roster is that many of the players are on the other side of 30. On the evidence of this tour, so far, they are not going anywhere soon.
It's difficult to dwell too much on the losses because of how many key figures were missing. Chief among those absentees was coach Rena Wakama, who has been the courtside mastermind of the team's current upward trajectory. , with her assistant coach Wani Muganguzi running things during the tour.
Whether D'Tigress could have won with Wakama on the sideline is unlikely, but she could have made a difference.on a training contract, chasing a WNBA contract after a successful first stint last season. Although their paths crossed when the team stopped by to see her after a Wings game, but her absence on the floor was felt. With Okonkwo and Kalu both available, Nigeria has the kind of backcourt that changes games.
Also missing was Murjanatu Musa, who was in the middle of the best club season of her career. With Basket Landes in France's top domestic league, and more significantly in the EuroLeague Women, Musa was one of the competition's outstanding players from start to finish. EuroLeague Team of the Month in January. EuroLeague Team of the Month again in February.
Second in the entire competition in rebounding, averaging 8.2 per game. She scored 26 in a comeback win over Valencia. Against Galatasaray in the play-in rounds, she put up 20 points, nine rebounds and four steals on 10-of-13 shooting, an efficiency rating of 30, the highest of any player across the entire play-in series. Basket Landes were eventually eliminated by Galatasaray in the quarterfinals of the Final Six in Zaragoza, the best result in the club's history.
Musa was named to the EuroLeague Women Second Team at season's end, the highest individual honour of her career. One of the goals of this tour was to catch a glimpse of what the future of D'Tigress could look like. And two players stepped forward and made some noise in that direction. Across two games, White scored 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds, handed out six assists, stole the ball three times and blocked a shot.
Her 16-point, seven-rebound showing against the Lynx in Kansas City was the best all-around rookie performance of the tour, and the second highest behind Kalu's 25-point performance. Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, not one to dish out praise for nought, noticed and singled her out for mention after the game: "When White came in, she was terrific. Uche Izoje came in as one of the most written-about names on the roster.
The 6-foot-3 centre from Asaba, Delta State, who left Nigeria at 13 to play professionally in Japan, won WJBL Rookie of the Year, then crossed to Syracuse and took ACC Rookie of the Year in her debut college season, carried the expectation with ease. Eight points and seven rebounds starting against the Lynx, then 10 points and five rebounds against the Sparks. She was played with a maturity that suggested this level is not too big for her.
She was then listed as inactive for the Fever game in Indianapolis, no explanation offered, which was a pity because it was the tour's most watched fixture, played before 10,051 fans. Although they travelled with the squad and showed up in the team's social media content, neither Okananwa, the Maryland forward who led the pre-tour headlines as the face of this new generation before a ball was tipped, nor 7-foot-1 Okechukwu, the tallest player in the history of NCAA women's basketball, saw minutes.
But as a measure of success for this tournament, Izoje and White may have cemented their place on the roster. The WNBA, as well as the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, will air on ESPN's channels in Africa , as well as on Disney+ in South Africa. Driver takes off after hit-and-run crash kills man and baby in Playa del Rey, LAPD says
D'tigress WNBA Tour FIBA World Cup Nigeria Basketball Women's Basketball
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New book claims Caitlin Clark shut down her own WNBA Rookie of the Year celebrationThe difference in how the two players were celebrated for their accomplishment angered Caitlin Clark fans.
Read more »
Azzi Fudd May Face WNBA Fine for Latest CommentsDallas Wings rookie guard Azzi Fudd was extremely honest about WNBA officiating. Maybe a little too honest.
Read more »
2026 WNBA franchise valuations: Golden State Valkyries are first $1 billion teamCNBC has released its list of the most valuable WNBA franchises in 2026, with one team hitting the $1 billion mark. Here's the full list.
Read more »
Dallas Wings beat Las Vegas Aces in first-ever WNBA game played in AustinThe Dallas Wings defeated the Las Vegas Aces 101-84 Sunday night at the Moody Center, marking the first WNBA game ever played in Austin.The preseason exhibition
Read more »
WNBA Increases Fines for Fouls Starting in 2026The WNBA is increasing fines for flagrant and technical fouls beginning in the 2026 season, a move seen as an effort to protect star player Caitlin Clark after a pattern of physical play. The league previously faced criticism for not intervening despite concerns over Clark's safety and the impact of potential injuries on viewership.
Read more »
Fresh Off WNBA Media Day, Angel Reese Holds Court at the Met Gala in Stuart WeitzmanAngel Reese arrived for her third Met Gala on Monday in New York wearing custom Altuzarra and Stuart Weitzman shoes.
Read more »