Nigeria’s women’s basketball team made history as the first African nation (male or female) to reach the quarterfinals in the 2024 Paris Olympics. They reached this milestone with a 79-70 victory over Canada in the last Group B game.
D’Tigress, who won their first Olympic basketball game in 20 years, have prolonged their run in the competition, leaving their mark on history and edging closer to the podium with each game.
Before the Paris 2024 Olympics, African women’s teams had only won one game out of over 37 in Olympic history.
Nigeria won two games in Group B, with standout player Ezinne Kalu scoring 21 points and adding two assists, and Elizabeth Balogun impressing with 14 points and three assists versus Canada.
Forward Amy Okonkwo expressed pride in the team’s performance, saying, “I am so proud of us. The last game wasn’t good for us, and even in the first half today, we were not doing what we wanted to come out and do. We had a talk with ourselves and realized it was win or go home, and we decided we wanted to stay,” via FIBA.
Having defeated the fifth-ranked team in the world, D’Tigress now looks relentless as they aim for a place on the podium. Only two more strong performances stand between them and Olympic glory.
