Nigeria, March 18 -- Nigeria's senior women's basketball team, D'Tigress, ended their campaign at the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Lyon, France, with an 81-73 defeat to Germany.

Tuesday's outing again highlighted both their resilience and recurring lapses in closing games.

D'Tigress showed intent early in the game, matching Germany's intensity and staying within reach throughout the first half.

Nigeria trailed narrowly 17-14 in the first quarter and 18-17 in the second, going into halftime with a manageable deficit.

The team maintained their momentum after the break, edging the third quarter 21-19 to keep the contest finely balanced heading into the final period.

However, the fourth quarter proved decisive. Germany...