Nigerian women’s basketball team opened up their Paris 2024 Olympic campaign, defeating World No. 3 ranked Team, Australia at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille. Australia started out strong, leading by 6 points, but then Ezinne Kalu turned things around for Nigeria.
D’Tigress affirmed their commitment to staying united and focused on their goal. “Regardless of any outcome, we stay the course, we stay together and we keep our eyes on the prize. We are not leaving here empty handed.
In a recent statement on their official X (formerly Twitter) account, D’Tigress expressed their gratitude for the support they received. “We really want to thank everyone so much for all the love we’ve received as a team yesterday. It really meant a lot to us. Truly, now that the dust has settled, we are mentally locked in more than ever”, the team stated.
The players emphasized their focus on maintaining momentum, with their coach highlighting that one win is not sufficient. “Momentum was our focus word today in practice. One win is not enough. We are not going to settle for that! We have made history”, the statement continued.
Though, the D’Tigress, who have been the surprise team of the women’s basketball event at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games, were brought down to earth, yesterday, by hosts, France, who beat the Nigerian girls 75 points to 54.
Although the scoreline looks lopsided in France’s favour, the game was by no means easy for the host, who only capitalised on the many Nigerian turnovers to carry the day.
France looks unstoppable and podium-ready by far, it’s early days, but they are not only on track according to expectation, they look fully-focused and physically dominant to others. With the crowd helping to provide energy too, this two-way street is really helping them shine. Their depth, talent, athleticism, and especially their defense are looking irresistible.
Nigeria’s chances of making the quarterfinals depend on their outing against Canada, on Sunday. The Canadians have already been eliminated following the loss to Australia, yesterday.
Nigeria will finish in the second position with an automatic quarterfinal ticket if they beat Canada. They can still finish second on the head-to-head count if France defeat Australia on, Sunday.
The D’Tigress could also progress as one of the best third-placed teams if they are not blown away by Canada.
