Nigeria’s D’Tigress Face USA in Women’s Olympic Basketball Quarterfinals

In a historic moment for African basketball, Nigeria’s D’Tigress became the first African team to reach a Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament quarterfinals at Paris 2024. 

Having already defeated top teams like Australia and Canada, Nigeria is set to face the dominant USA, a team that has long been a powerhouse in women’s basketball.

Under head coach Rene Wakama, Nigeria has achieved unprecedented success through a rugged and relentless defense that contests shots, pressures the ball, and generates numerous steals and transition points. 

Nigeria’s strength lies in their aggressive defense, leading the competition in steals with 13.3 per game and capitalizing on turnovers with 23.3 points per game. However, they face a formidable challenge against the USA’s offensive firepower, which includes leading scoring with 92 points per game, a field goal shooting percentage of 49.5%, and a defensive record of 6.7 blocks per game.

This matchup also features a high-stakes duel between Nigeria’s Ezinne Kalu, who has redefined her team’s performance since returning from a three year hiatus, and USA’s Chelsea Gray, who has been a key playmaker for the American squad averaging 6 assists per game. 

The USA have previously defeated Nigeria in both the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament (100-46) and at Tokyo 2020 (81-72). 

We’ve seen upsets happen at the Olympics, will the biggest one yet happen tonight? Only time will tell.