NIGERIA’S women’s basketball team D’Tigress few minutes ago created an upset when they defeated the Opals of Australia – currently ranked number 3 in the world – in their first match at the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Rena Wakama-tutored ladies pulled off a spirited performance to beat the Australians 75-62 at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium.
The Nigerian side were underrated heading into the encounter but sprung a surprise result to kickstart their campaign.
D’Tigress recovered from a slow start to win the first quarter 18-17. They had an even better second quarter, winning 23-11, to put daylight between them and the Australian Opals.
Australia bounced back after the break, winning the third quarter 19-10, but Nigeria fought back with an emphatic fourth quarter, winning 24-15, sparking wild celebrations in their technical area. The returning Ezzine Kalu brought in her A-game, bagging 19 points, five rebounds and five assists in the game.
Head Coach Rena Wakama started Kalu alongside the 2023 AfroBasket MVP and team captain Amy Okonkwo, Elizabeth Balogun, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah and Promise Amukamara, but the team was rotated as the game progressed. Apart from Kalu, Amukamara was the other high-scoring player in the Nigerian side, with point guard shining with 14 points, six assists and nine assists.
Alanna Smith was the standout for the Opals, with 15 points and seven boards, while Sami Whitcomb added 13 points. 
The victory is the team’s first win in an Olympic match since Athens 2004.
Before now, the four-time African champions had never won a single game at the Olympics in their previous two appearances.
Nigeria has now put itself in good standing to make it out of Group B. They will next play hosts France before wrapping up their group-stage campaign against Canada on 4 August.
With the Opals dropping what many assumed was a guaranteed win against Nigeria, they will now need to go back to the drawing board before taking on Canada on Thursday, with the team suddenly finding themselves fighting for their Olympic lives.
2024 Olympic Women’s Basketball – Group B
FT
Nigeria 75 = 18, 23, 10, 24
Australia 62 = 17, 11, 19, 15
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