Kalu Braces for Final China Test Ahead of World Cup

D’Tigress guard Ezinne Kalu believes Nigeria’s final warm-up game against China will give the team an opportunity to correct their mistakes ahead of the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

The reigning African champions have suffered two narrow defeats to China in their three-game series, losing 70-67 in the opening encounter on Friday before falling 69-65 in Sunday’s second game.

The third and final meeting is scheduled for Wednesday in Foshan, Guangdong Province.

Kalu, who led Nigeria with 13 points in Sunday’s defeat, said the team were determined to make the most of the final test against the Asian champions.

“I’m anxious for the third game because it’s really hard to beat a team three times in a row. It will be a chance for us to fix what we did wrong in the first and second games. The third game will be different,” Kalu said.

Nigeria controlled much of Sunday’s encounter and led 54-46 going into the final quarter before China produced a late comeback.

The first half was closely contested, featuring 11 lead changes, with Nigeria relying on their physical defence to remain competitive as both teams went into halftime tied at 33-33.

China responded strongly in the final quarter, with Tang Ziting scoring the hosts’ first three-pointer before another long-range effort levelled the game at 54-54.

Zhang Ziyu continued to attack the basket, while Wang Siyu converted four crucial free throws late in the game to secure another narrow victory for China.

The final game will provide Rena Wakama’s side with another opportunity to test themselves against one of the leading teams in women’s basketball before continuing their World Cup preparations.

After the China series, D’Tigress will enter the third phase of their preparations in Tenerife, Spain, from August 15 to 24, where they are scheduled to face Spain and Belgium.

The fourth phase will also take place in Spain, with the team moving to Zaragoza from August 25 to September 3 for final tune-up games against Mali and Puerto Rico.

Nigeria began their World Cup preparations in the United States from July 29 to August 2 before travelling to China for the current phase, which runs until August 14.

The seven-time African champions will then travel to Berlin, Germany, for the FIBA Women’s World Cup from September 4 to 13.

Nigeria have been drawn in Group B alongside Korea Republic, Hungary and France.