Nigeria’s female basketball team, D’Tigress, faced a tough exit from the ongoing Olympics tournament in Paris on Wednesday, losing 74-88 in the quarterfinals to the United States of America.
This marks consecutive victories for the USA over D’Tigress, following their previous win at Tokyo 2020, which ended with a score of 81-72 in favour of the Americans.
Despite a remarkable performance in the 4th quarter where they outscored the United States 26-12, the Nigerian team couldn’t overcome the deficit built up over the first three quarters.
Ezinne Kalu and Amy Okonkwo delivered standout performances, making Nigeria proud even in their Paris 2024 Olympics exit against the USA.
Team USA, with contributions from A’ja Wilson, who scored 20 points, and Jackie Young, who added 15, is edging closer to securing their tenth gold medal in Olympic history, marking their 59th consecutive win.
The game remained competitive for much of the first half, with Nigeria’s formidable defense keeping the score close.
However, shortly before halftime, the USA managed to pull ahead, though Nigeria stayed within reach.
The second half saw the WNBA-star-studded American team extend their lead, at one point nearly doubling Nigeria’s score.
Nevertheless, D’Tigress maintained pressure and managed a late surge to reduce the final deficit.
The Nigerian team exited the tournament with their heads held high, having made history as the first African team, male or female, to reach the Olympic quarterfinals.
Their journey has been nothing short of historic, capturing the admiration of basketball fans globally.
The atmosphere in the arena was electric, with notable athletes turning out to watch the thrilling contest between Nigeria and the USA.
Among the spectators was NBA star LeBron James, who attended with his wife Savannah James, and sat alongside fellow NBA and Team USA men’s basketball player Bam Adebayo.
Next up for Team USA women’s basketball is a semifinal clash against Australia on August 9, while D’Tigress will return home, celebrated as trailblazers and basketball greats for their extraordinary achievements at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
