The D’Tigress, Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, can hold their heads high despite an 88-74 defeat to the top-ranked United States in the quarterfinals of the basketball tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Wednesday.
Nigeria, who were clearly the underdogs heading into the game, made the Americans fight hard to gain victory inside the packed Accor Arena in Paris, with a large part of the crowd spurring the D’Tigress on.
After trailing by as much as 27 points early in the third quarter, head coach Rena Wakama made some adjustments as the fearless D’Tigress reduced the deficit to 14 by the sound of the buzzer.
Bowing out on a high. Thank you, Africa! pic.twitter.com/fgyNvOROpg
— DTigress (@DtigressNG) August 7, 2024
The D’Tigress were led by Promise Amukamara’s 19 points and game-high three 3s and three steals. Team captain Amy Okonkwo followed suit with a 17-point and 7-rebound performance, with Ezinne Kalu pouring in 16 points and a game-high seven assists to end the tournament as Nigeria’s leading scorer, while Pallas Kunaiyi Akpanah finished with eight points and eight rebounds.
“This team is one of a kind,” Akpanah said. “I am blessed to be a part of this team and this group. These girls never give up and they always keep fighting through any adversity. We are going out, but I think we are not going out on any kind of negative note. I think we accomplished something big this year and we need to build on this for the future.”
Nigeria scored more than 73 points in consecutive games for the first time at the Olympics, and their 26 points in the fourth quarter are the most the USA has ever allowed in the final quarter of a game in the competition.
On the other end, Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson with a 20-point and 11-rebounds monster display. Meanwhile, Wilson’s Aces teammate Jackie Young added 15 points; Tokyo 2020 Most Valuable Player (MVP), Breanna Stewart, stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 5rebounds, and three assists, while Brittany Griner added 11 points.
Although the result wasn’t what the D’Tigress wanted, the Wakama-led side can be proud of their historic outing in Paris, where they have set and broken records, one of which saw them become the first African team—men’s or women’s—to reach the quarterfinals at the Olympics.
Here’s the timetable for Women’s #Basketball Semi-Finals ⌚️#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/6UJr0Kx2iB
— FIBA (@FIBA) August 7, 2024
With Nigeria now out, four teams remain in the hunt for the medals, with Australia, Belgium, and France hoping to dethrone the USA and end their nine-year winning streak at the Olympics.
The semifinals will commence on Friday, August 9, with the USA taking on Australia before hosts France lock horns against Belgium in two high-profile encounters.
