D’Tigress head coach Rena Wakama has praised his players for their fighting spirit in the win over Philippines, reports Completesports.com.
The African champions staged a comeback to beat Philippines 101-84 in their third game at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament on Saturday.
Wakama admitted that her team made a slow start to the game, but said the lessons learnt will be valuable for them in future.
“We just had a slow start,” Wakama said after the game.
Read Also:2026 FIBA WWCQ: D’Tigress Bounce Back To Beat Philippines
“That’s what happens when you face respectable teams. It’s another lesson for us, a little bit of growing pains. But it takes a lot of resilience and poise to fight back the way we did, so huge credit to my team.”
Wakama was equally encouraged by the leadership shown in the dressing room at halftime as Nigeria regrouped.
“I heard my leaders talking before I even walked in,” the coach revealed.
“Those are signs of a great team. Leadership shouldn’t always come from the coaches; it has to come from within.”
