China Coach Aims for D’Tigress Sweep in Exhibition Series

China’s national basketball coach Gong Luming is targeting a clean sweep against Nigeria’s D’Tigress in their pre-World Cup exhibition series after a 69-65 victory in Haikou on Sunday. This match was the second of three warm-up games ahead of the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin next month.

The D’Tigress have now lost both encounters with China, having previously fallen 70-67 in their first exhibition game on Friday. Key performances included Zhang Ziyu, who led all scorers with a double-double of 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Wang Siyu’s late free throws secured the win.

The game featured 11 lead changes and ended with Nigeria relying on physical defense. Gong noted the experience gained from facing a physical Nigerian side was valuable for his young team.

The final game of the series will take place in Foshan on Wednesday, after which Nigeria will continue its training in Tenerife, Spain, before heading to the World Cup from September 4 to 13.