Nigeria led early—up 6 points with 9:18 left in the first quarter—but Republic of Korea answered immediately. A 7-0 run midway through Q1 swung the momentum, and Korea never trailed again. By half-time the score sat at 48–45, a four-point edge that Korea extended to six after three quarters (68–62) before the decisive fourth quarter put the game beyond reach. Korea outscored Nigeria 31–19 in the final frame, stretching their lead to 19 points with 1:37 remaining. The back-and-forth nature early—nine lead changes and three ties—dissolved into Korean control once the defense tightened and the shooting began to fall. Jihyun Park led the way with 27 points on efficient shooting (7/15 FG, 3/6 from three, 10/11 FT) and added six steals. Leeseul Kang distributed the ball with purpose, finishing with 20 points and seven assists on 6/11 three-point shooting. Isaem Choi was nearly perfect from deep, going 4-for-4 from three while scoring 19 points. Amy Okonkwo kept Nigeria competitive through the final stretch—22 points on 8/15 shooting—but Murjanatu Musa's 13 rebounds and 15 points could not overcome Korea's fourth-quarter firepower. Republic of Korea faces France on Saturday 5 Sept in Group B play.