PRAGUE, July 12 — Nigeria came from behind to beat China 93-88 in the Group B opener of the 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Brno, Czech Republic on Saturday. China got off to a strong start, leading 24-16 at the end of the first quarter and maintaining a narrow 44-38 advantage by halftime. But Nigeria rallied in the second half, fueled by a dominant final quarter in which they outscored China 32-28. Nigeria’s Nora Ezike scored 25 points, going a perfect 8-of-8 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line. Idubamo Beggi added 18 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Tobenna Nweke chipped in 15 points. China’s Ran Kejia paced her team with 28 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals in an all-around performance. Li Yuqian finished with 25 points on 9-of-20 shooting, and Xu Peilin added 10 points off the bench. Despite shooting 42.7 percent from the field and dishing out 27 assists, China struggled from the free-throw line, converting just 16 of 26 attempts. Nigeria capitalized on the difference, hitting 33 of 43 from the stripe and dominating the boards with a 52-47 rebounding edge. China will next face Portugal on Sunday in its second group stage match.
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