D’Tigress defeat Australia to claim first win at Olympics in 20 years

The D’Tigress of Nigeria have defeated the Opals of Australia in their first match at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

The Rena Wakama-led ladies pulled off a spirited performance to beat the Australians 75-62 at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium on Monday.

The victory was the team’s first win in an Olympic match since Athens 2004, when they defeated South Korea in an inconsequential classification game after crashing out.

The Australians were listed as third on the competition’s power ranking, while Nigeria was named 12th.

But the gulf in quality that was suggested by the ranking was lost immediately after the match started.

D’Tigress were all over the Australians from the start, with Murjanatu Musa, Ezinne Kalu, and Amy Okonkwo scraping loose balls and shooting with superior ease.

Nigeria led 18-17 at the end of the first quarter, and the lead was extended to 41-28 by half-time.

Kalu was at the top of her game, hooping three-point shots with finesse, while Murjanatu, with her blocks and steals, kept the turnovers coming for Nigeria.

Although the Opals rallied in the third quarter and the early minutes of the fourth, D’Tigress held on for a historic victory.

The team will face France in its second game of Group B on Thursday.