How D’Tigress defeated Opals – Okonkwo

Team captain Amy Okonkwo has explained how Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, subdued Australia 75-62 in their first Group B game of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, on Monday.

The African champions, who are ranked eight in the world, put on a great display at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium to beat the world’s third-best team, ending their 20 years without a win at the Olympics.

Reacting to the famous win, Okonkwo said, “It feels so good. We stuck together and we came together in adversity. This is what it is all about—you fight.”

In her reaction, Australia forward Alanna Smith admitted that the team gave away too many chances.

“We turned the ball over way too much, and we were not ready to step up to the physicality of the game. Turning the ball over though was the crux of the game.”

D’Tigress head coach Rena Wakama started returning point guard Ezinne Kalu, 2023 Afrobasket MVP, team captain Amy Okonkwo, Elizabeth Balogun, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah, and Promise Amukamara.

Showing her class, Kalu, who has already delivered at the biggest events, including Tokyo 2020 and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2018, brought in her A-game, bagging 19 points, five rebounds and five assists in the game.

Heading into the tournament, D’Tigress were the underdogs, being ranked the lowest team in Paris.

The Nigerians were ranked 12th among the participating teams, and despite facing a difficult road at the Olympic Games, the Africans pulled off a spirited performance.

Nigeria scored a whopping 26 points from turnovers as a result of Australia spilling the ball an incredible 26 times during the match.

Particularly in the first half, when they nearly gave their opponents a point every minute from that source, it made all the difference.

“We didn’t play Opals’ basketball, and we weren’t aggressive defensively. We have to be better. We have to find a way,” Australia’s Sandy Brondello added.

D’Tigress will look to build on the impressive start in the remaining group games against Canada and France, with their assignment coming against the latter on Wednesday, August 1, before rounding off their group-stage campaign against the former on Saturday, August 4.