Nigeria has qualified for the Paris 2024 women’s basketball tournament quarter-finals, becoming the first African nation to do so.
Ezinne Kalu’s 21 points and 14 from Elizabeth Balogun was enough for D’Tigress to seal a 79-70 win over Canada as the continent of Africa has a quarter-finalist for the first time, male or female.
Trailing at the break, Nigeria moved up the gears in the third, starting with an 11-0 run, leading to a 23-5 quarter, which secured the win.
Canada, a once strong women’s basketball nation, will again face questions after a fourth straight Olympics in which they haven’t made the semi-finals, finishing with a 0-3 record in Group B.
For Nigeria, it was history; for Australia, it was do-or-die, as they needed a win to qualify for the quarter-finals. And they did just that.
In front of a bumper crowd at the Stade Pierre Mouroy, the Opals took care of business against the host nation France, 79-72.
The result means that Australia gets second place, with France just about doing enough, even in defeat, to hang on to the first spot.
But France will not be in the top two teams in the tournament, leaving that to the USA and Spain.
In turn, the result pushed Nigeria into third, with all three teams finishing 2-1, leaving China out of contention.
A scoring outburst in the first and third quarters lifted the Women’s EuroBasket champions Belgium to the last eight, beating Japan 85-58.
After losing their first two games, Belgium were in desperate need of a miracle, requiring to win by 27 points or more to advance.
What followed was nothing short of remarkable. A 39-point first quarter led to a 42-point blast that not only stunned Japan but also thrilled everyone in Lille.
Emma Meesseman was inspired. In the win, she scored 30 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and five blocks.
In the other Group C clash, the USA comfortably dispatched Germany 87-68 to finish 3-0 and take the top spot.
The U.S. took over in the second after a very slow start in the first. They left Germany for dust with a 19-7 burst to finish the half and enjoyed the luxury of staying in cruise control.
Jackie Young had her best game of the Olympics so far, leading the way with 19 points. Despite defeat, Germany finished 2-1 and is also safely through.
Photo: FIBA
