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.
D’Tigress became the first ever African team (Men or Women) to play in the Quarter-Finals: of an Olympic games.
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
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.
Nigeria’s US coach Rena Wakama reacts in the women’s preliminary round group B basketball match between Canada and Nigeria during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, northern France, on August 4, 2024. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)Despite a late fightback from Canada in the fourth quarter, the Nigeria side held on to their 9-point lead. (Channels)