By Femi Atolagbe

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Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, made history by qualifying for their first-ever quarter-finals after defeating Canada 75-60 at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium yesterday.

Head coach Rena Wakama recreated the starting five of Promise Amukamara, Amy Okonkwo, Ezinne Kalu, Elizabeth Balogun, and Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah who earned a historic win over Australia in their opening game.

The team started strong, leading 6-0, but Canada tied the game 18-18 at the end of the first quarter. Despite losing star forward Amy Okonkwo to a shoulder injury, D’Tigress showed resilience. Canada dominated the second quarter, outscoring Nigeria 23-19 and taking a four-point lead at half-time (41-37).

Okonkwo’s return in the third quarter boosted the team’s confidence. D’Tigress stormed into a 12-0 lead, limiting Canada to just five points, while scoring 23 points to end the quarter 60-46.

Despite a strong fourth-quarter effort from Canada, outscoring Nigeria 24-19, it was too little, too late to overcome the deficit. The damage had been done in the third quarter, where D’Tigress pulled away.

For the third consecutive game, Ezinne Kalu led the charge with an impressive 21 points, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Promise Amukamara was a force to be reckoned with, contributing 14 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals. Elizabeth Balogun also made a significant impact, adding 14 points and 4 rebounds to the winning effort.