
By John-Francis Alamise
A repeat of the 2018 FIBA World Cup quarterfinals in Tenerife, Spain is the set up for Nigeria in the Women’s basketball event of the ongoing Paris Olympic Games.
The reigning African champions have been drawn against the reigning World and seven-time Olympics champions Team USA.
Team USA had to dig deep before eliminating Nigeria that finished 8th place. On Wednesday, it will be a battle of grit for who advances to the semis.
Nigeria’s team fondly called D’Tigress hitting the advanced quarterfinals of the Olympics, become the first African team to reach this stage in either the men’s or women’s tournament.
Nigeria will matchup against the seven-time defending champion United States on Wednesday in Paris. The Olympic women’s basketball draw was announced late Sunday night
Other quarterfinal matchups include Spain versus Belgium, France against Germany, and Serbia facing Australia. The winners of the Spain-Belgium and France-Germany games will compete in the semifinals on Friday. The victor of the Nigeria-U.S. game will take on the winner of Serbia-Australia.
Ezinne Kalu, who led Nigeria with 21 points in their victory over Canada on Sunday, expressed excitement about heading to Paris. “The Eiffel Tower, croissants, more food,” Kalu said. “To go to Paris and see other athletes competing in their sports and just be around the great energy of so many different countries, and to be the only African club there for basketball competing, it just really means a lot to us. And it’s something that we’re not going to take for granted.”
The U.S. team has been a dominant force in the Olympic quarterfinals, riding a record 58-game winning streak. Nigeria, despite having the seventh-best record of the eight qualifiers, will face the U.S. because both teams could not meet Belgium, being in the same pool.
Nigeria’s advancement came after finishing third in their pool. Australia’s victory over France, 79-72, secured the Opals enough points to finish second in their group, avoiding a quarterfinal clash with the U.S. This loss was France’s first of the tournament and a significant setback for the host nation.
“I’m just happy to survive. So, we got an opportunity to keep playing,” said Australia coach Sandy Brondello. She added that it didn’t matter who the Australians played in the quarters “as long as not the USA.”
Teams that did not advance to Paris include Canada, Japan, China, and Puerto Rico.