Nigeria’s female basketball national team, D’Tigress will play against a depleted opponent on Saturday in the last match of their ongoing USA Tour, as Indiana Fever BC have been hit with injuries to a number of key players.
Sports247 reports that the development is a big boost to the aspirations of D’Tigress, who aim to end their build-up tour ahead of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup with victory, having lost to Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx in their first two games.
They would be further boosted with news that Indiana Fever lost their most recent pre-season friendly to Dallas Wings, as all American clubs step up their preparations for next season in USA’s Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Indiana Fever fell 95-80 ahead of their clash with D’Tigress, a game that will come exactly a week to the club’s WNBA regular season opener on May 9th, as Dallas took a big lead in the second quarter of Thursday’s friendly and never looked back.
Second-year guard, Paige Bueckers led The Wings with 20 points, all of which came in a fast paced first half, while Indiana’s Caitlin Clark, who is continuing to ramp up in her return from injury, led The Fever with a game-high 21 points.
Indiana Fever’s coach, Stephanie White opted to rotate her players to test the full strength of the squad, but three key starters – Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull and Tyasha Harris – sat out Thursday’s game with minor injuries, while the gaffer chose to be cautious about not playing them.
For Saturday’s game, though, D’Tigress will have to watch out for Indiana Fever’s most outstanding rookie of the moment, Raven Johnson, who put up a strong defensive performance in Thursday’s defeat, with five steals in relatively limited play.
