History as D’Tigress Wins First-Ever Group-Stage Game at Paris 2024
- D'Tigress made history after winning their first-ever game in the group stages at the Olympics by beating Australia on Monday morning
- The basketball side were unfancied heading into the encounter but sprung a surprise result to kickstart their campaign
- Ezzine Kalu, who hasn't played for Nigeria since 2020, oozed class on the court, scoring 19 points, more than any other player on both teams
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Nigeria's basketball team finally won a group-stage game at the Olympics after beating Australia 75-62 in the opening game of the 2024 Games in Paris.
Before today, the six-time African champions had never won a group-stage game at the Olympics in their previous two appearances. Their only win came in the 11/12th place playoff in Athens 2004.
Source: Getty Images
Nigeria vs Australia match report
Nigeria 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 clawed back after the break, winning the third quarter 19-10, but Nigeria bounced back with an emphatic fourth quarter, winning 24-15, sparking wild celebrations in their technical area.
Ezzine Kalu runs the show at Paris 2024
The returning Ezzine Kalu brought 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.
Which team does D'Tigress play next?
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 August 4.
The top two teams will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, with the two best third-placed teams also participating. One more win for Nigeria will ensure progression to the knock-out rounds.
South Sudan makes history on Olympic debut
Legit.ng had earlier reported that South Sudan had beaten Puerto Rico in their debut appearance at the Olympics.
The youngest nation in the world won 90-79 to set the tone for the rest of the tournament.
They will next play the United States of America before facing Serbia as they look to make it to the knock-out rounds.
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Source: Legit.ng
