The Nigerian female basketball team, D’Tigress, made history at the Paris Olympics 2024 by qualifying for the last 8, claiming a 79-70 victory over Canada.
That feat made them the first ever African team (men or women) to play in the quarter-final of an Olympic game.
Nigeria, three-time Women’s Afrobasket Champions faced a tough test in the North Americans ranked 5 in the world
A win for the D’Tigress was non-negotiable as they hoped to put behind them the loss to France.
The first quarter saw both sides jostling for ascendancy but there was nothing to separate the sides as it ended 18-18
However, the Canadian team came into the 2nd quarter with some renewed zest and ended up finishing the 2nd quarter 23-19
Hero of a nation. 🇳🇬#Paris2024 x #Basketball pic.twitter.com/kttQFLPQMQ
— FIBA (@FIBA) August 4, 2024
If there was anybody coach Rena Wakama was looking up to raise the D’Tigress spirit, it was Ezunne Kalu and she didn’t disappoint as she rallied the side in the third quarter to end 23-5 leaders.
Despite a late fightback from Canada in the fourth quarter, the Nigeria side held on to their nine-point lead.