Trend setters, D’Tigress beat Canada, blaze into women’s basketball quarterfinals

They were not expected to upset the applecart at the ongoing women’s basketball event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Ranked number 12 in the world, there were better-rated and more famous teams than the D’Tigress of Nigeria.

Although they came into the competition as African champions, that did not count for anything as no team from the black continent has ever gone past the first round of the women’s basketball event in the history of the Olympics.

But the D’Tigress, yesterday, in Lille, France showed that they are no ordinary team. Surely, a team that has once qualified for the quarterfinals of the World Cup is not one to be taken lightly.

That was what Australia did to their regret on July 29 and again, Canada fell to the lull of the lie in statistics as the D’Tigress left them wondering what has happened to their famed pedigree.

Australia is ranked number three in the world, yet the D’Tigress took them to the cleaners in the opening round of Group B. The same fate befell number five-ranked Canada, yesterday, when D’Tigress put up a Masterclass to send the North Americans packing from the Games.

The world knew that in Ezinne Kalu, Nigeria has one of the best players in the competition. But what confounded most in Sunday’s encounter, was the fearlessness displayed by Amy Okonkwo, Elizabeth Balogun’s guile, Promise Amukamara’s movement, Marjanatu Musa’s fighting spirit, and Pallas Kunaiyi Akpanah’s game-breaking blocks.

The match commentator described the D’Tigress as tearing up the script in a big way at the Games, picking yesterday’s 79-70 defeat of Canada as the biggest upset yet in the Games.

Yesterday was the first time Nigeria will win two games at the Olympics, and the manner of the victory was also impressive as they condemned winless Canada to an early trip home.

Nigeria gained the upper hand in the contest with a stunning 11-0 run to start the second half. It left Canada, who had Nigerian-born Natalie Achonwa in their lineup, reeling and they never recovered.

As usual, Kalu was hugely influential and did her usual thing by pulling the strings in the backcourt. She had 21 points, three rebounds, and two assists

The playmaker registered 21 points, while Elizabeth Balogun chose a great time to have her best game in memory as she stepped up with 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Nigeria were ruthless in punishing Canadian errors with an incredible 27 points from turnovers.

Amukamara made five steals against Canada, the second-most for a player with a team from Africa in a game at the Olympics.

Nigeria looked like they could give absolutely anybody in the tournament a game right now. Their rugged defense was back after a lapse in their previous match against France.   Physically they are a handful and anyone they come up against in the quarterfinals would have to play well to beat them.

Speaking after the game, Amy Okonkwo said that the half-time talk was a difference-maker
“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,” she said.

Describing her team’s loss to Nigeria as a sad end to an amazing career, Achonwa said that she has a lot to remember in this game. “It’s been a hell of a journey and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. If you are competing with the best in the world in do-or-die situations, you need to be ready in every possession of the game. I don’t want to make excuses. You have to show up every possession and every play.

“The teams we played did it better than us,” the retiring Canada forward, Achonwa, said.