On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, Team Nigeria’s D’Tigress women’s basketball team will play Team USA in the opening round of the women’s basketball knockout stage of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Nigeria, the top-ranked African team and the 12th-ranked team in the world, hopes to cause yet another upset at the Paris Games, while Team USA looks to win their 59th straight Olympic game and an eighth consecutive gold medal.
In their opening game at the Paris Games, the African champions stunned the world by defeating Australia, ranked third, 75–62. However, they lost 75-54 to the host France in their second game before winning 79-70 against Canada in their last group game.
The last time these teams faced off was in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Antwerp, Belgium, where the USA severely outclassed the African champions, winning 100–46. Nevertheless, Rena Wakama, head coach of D’tigress, is confident that her team is prepared to face the Americans—the team that no one in the world wanted to play—in the quarterfinals.
“We think there’s a reason behind everything that happened. We are excited to see them again on Wednesday because we did not play our best when we first faced them in Belgium.
“I felt that our first game with them opened our eyes. We were able to analyze our mistakes after watching the game.We were able to see our strengths, and I believe it will be really beneficial now that our girls have had the opportunity to play against them.
We have played roughly five games so far, and we have three matches and three friendly games here, so we are confident going into the game.
We’re playing well, and Ezinne, a recent addition to the team, adds a new level of intensity and experience. Therefore, we are eager to carry out our tasks effectively,” Wakama stated.
Nigeria has undoubtedly awakened everyone’s attention with their victories over Australia and Canada. However, the USA is constructed differently than most teams. Many people wonder if the D’tigress will be able to break their long-standing tradition of dominating this sport, or if they will carry on with their current approach.
