Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, lost 75-54 to France in a 21-point margin in their second group-stage clash at the Paris 2024 Olympics women’s basketball tournament on Thursday, August 1, Completesports.com reports.
D’Tigress, who stunned the world by outclassing Australia with a 13-point margin, 75-62, in their Group B opener on Monday, July 29, to secure their first win of the campaign, started strong in the first quarter against France, trailing by four points, 24-20.
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D’Tigress showed resilience in the second quarter as they played their highly defensive tactics, which gave the host nation a daunting task to break. However, France maintained their lead to end the quarter 38-33.
The third quarter saw a shift in momentum as the host nation extended their lead to 13 points, 54-41, breaking through D’Tigress’ defense and dampening their enthusiasm.
The widening gap in the third quarter left D’Tigress facing a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter, where Rena Wakama’s team fought hard but ultimately fell to a 21-point defeat.
D’Tigress’ Ezinne Kalu recorded 18 points, while France’s Marie Johannes scored 15.
The victory propelled France to the quarter-finals and maintained their top position in Group B, with Nigeria in second place. Australia and Canada are in third and fourth positions, respectively.
By Dotun Omisakin
Source: www.completesports.com
