After achieving their first Olympic victory since 2004 by defeating Australia 75-62 in their group play opener on 29 July, Nigeria’s female basketball team, D’Tigress secured a 79-70 victory over Canada on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time ever at Paris the Paris Olympics.
Nigeria’s Ezinne Kalu was the star of the show, scoring 21 points to help Nigeria secure a famous victory that ended Canada’s participation in the Olympics.
The first half was a closely contested battle as Canada tried to stay in the game, even leading by four points at halftime. However, coming out of the break, D’Tigress applied more pressure that the Canadians simply could not endure and never recovered from.
Nigeria dominated Canada in the third quarter, outscoring them 23-5 and starting with a 15-0 run to take an eight-point lead. By the middle of the fourth quarter, Nigeria’s lead had grown to an unassailable 17 points to secure the win.
D’Tigress made 45% of their field goals and 38% of their three-point attempts, but their defence was the key to their important victory. They limited Canada to only 37% shooting overall, including a dismal 5-26 from beyond the arc.
