How We Broke 20-Year Jinx to Reach Olympics Quarterfinals—D’Tigress

The head coach and team captain of Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, Rena Wakama, and Amy Okonkwo, have shared how the team overcame Canada on Sunday to qualify for their first quarterfinals at the Olympics since their debut in Athens in 2004. This achievement marks a historic moment for African basketball, as D’Tigress became the first African team (women or men) to advance beyond the group phase in the history of Olympic basketball. D’Tigress secured a 79-70 victory against Canada, marking their first time recording two wins at the Olympics. This impressive feat ensured Canada’s early exit from the tournament. After a defeat to France in their second game, coach Wakama emphasized the importance of returning to their winning ways against Canada, which they accomplished.

Despite being ranked 12th globally, the lowest among the participating teams, Nigeria surprised many by taking control of the game with an 11-0 run to start the second half. This decisive moment left world No. 5 Canada struggling to recover. Ezinne Kalu was instrumental, scoring 21 points and orchestrating play in the backcourt. Elizabeth Balogun also had a standout performance, contributing 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Nigeria's rugged defense, which faltered against France, was back in full force, making them a formidable opponent for anyone in the tournament. The team’s physicality and defensive prowess were crucial in their victory. Reflecting on the win, team captain Amy Okonkwo highlighted the impact of a motivational half-time talk. She said, “I am so proud of us. The last game wasn’t good for us, and even in the first half today (Sunday), we were not doing what we wanted to come out and do. We had a talk with ourselves and realized it was win or go home, and we decided we wanted to stay.” Retiring Canada forward Natalie Achonwa acknowledged D’Tigress’s superiority, stating, “It’s been a hell of a journey, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. If you are competing with the best in the world in do-or-die situations, you need to be ready in every possession of the game. I don’t want to make excuses. You have to show up for every possession and every play. The teams we played did it better than us.”

With their qualification for the quarterfinals, Nigeria set a new milestone as the first African team to reach this stage, having won two of their three games. Before this achievement, African teams had only one win in 37 games played in the women’s tournament (Nigeria’s victory over South Korea in 2004).