D’Tigress of Nigeria have
beaten the Opals of Australia 75-62 in women’s basketball at the Paris
Olympics.
Point guard Ezinne Kalu
produced a clutch performance, inspiring the Rena Wakama-coached team to
withstand a late rally from the Aussies at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium on Monday.
The victory was Nigeria’s first
at the Games since Athens 2004.
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Kalu finished the game with 19
points and five rebounds helping Nigeria to a memorable win over the third-best
team in the world.
At the start, Australia showed
some real urgency and was all over the Nigerian ladies in the opening few
minutes.
Jade Melbourne and Ezi Magbegor
led the early onslaught as the Opals raced to a 13-5 lead.
However, D’Tigress, playing
their second successive Summer Games, responded with a magnificent Kalu leading
their lines.
They had their noses in front
after the first quarter at 18-17 largely thanks to Kalu’s 11 points, which
included three three-pointers.
Kalu continued to run the play
in the second quarter. With Amy Okonkwo and Elizabeth Balogun adding to the
Opals’ woes, the D’Tigresses went into half-time with a surprise 41-28 lead.
An astonishing 16 turnovers by
the Aussie players had a telling say on the scoreboard. Nigeria, in comparison,
had only eight in the first half.
The Opals, five-time Olympic
medallists, needed a strong response in the second half. Despite some resolute
defending from the Nigerian players, the Opals chipped away at the lead slowly
with Alanna Smith leading the fightback.
Heading into the final quarter,
the Aussies trailed by just four and had pulled themselves back into the
basketball contest.
The final quarter proved to be
a nervy affair. With just over six minutes left on the clock, the Opals trailed
by just two before a disastrous spell of play transpired for them.
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