Nigeria’s women basketball team, D’Tigress have qualified for their first-ever quarterfinal at the Olympic Games following their win over Canada on Sunday.
The team pulled off a thrilling performance, coming from behind to win the intense encounter 79-70.
D’Tigress knew only victory would guarantee them a place in the knockout phase, and fought for it .They had defeated Australia in their opening group game before losing to host France in their second match.
There was little to separate the D’Tigress from the Canadians in the first quarter that finished 18-18.
Nigeria lost the second and fourth quarters 23-19, 24-19 respectively, and won the third 23-5 which proved to be the difference.
The Canadians led the team in the second quarter, and the game finished 41-37 at halftime.
Ezinne led the scoring for Nigeria with 21 points, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah had 7 rebounds to lead that session, while Promise Amukamara had 6 assists, the most.
DTigress started the third quarter like a house on fire, going on an 11-0 run to lead Canada with 9 points.
D’Tigress sealed the victory with superior performance in the final quarter and rounded off a historic 9-point victory.
The victory means D’Tigress have won two of their three group games and lost one, scoring 208 points and letting in 207 in the process.
The victory ensures that the three-time Women’s Afrobasket champion becomes the first-ever African team (men or women) to play in the quarterfinals of an Olympic Games.
