VILLENEUVE: Ezinne Kalu achieved an impressive feat by making her first four 3-pointers and accumulating 17 of her 19 points in the first half on Monday, leading Nigeria to its inaugural Olympic women’s basketball victory since 2004 in Athens.
The team secured a remarkable upset against Australia, finishing the game with a score of 75-62 in their group play opener.
Notably, Nigeria had not qualified for the 2016 Rio Games and experienced a winless campaign in Tokyo. Australia, coached by Sandy Brondello of the WNBA’s New York Liberty, entered the match ranked third in the world, while Nigeria held the 12th position. The atmosphere in Pierre Mauroy Stadium was electric, with fans rising to their feet to cheer and applaud Nigeria in the closing moments of the game.
Following the final whistle, players and coaches rushed to midcourt to celebrate with jumps and embraces, subsequently exchanging high-fives with the Australian team. This victory may have alleviated the disappointment of the Nigerian squad, which faced challenges during the opening ceremony when they were denied access to their country’s boat.
Additionally, Promise Amukamara contributed 14 points for Nigeria, while Amy Okonkwo and Murjanatu Musa added 13 and 11 points, respectively. The Nigerian players took a moment to acknowledge their supporters near the bench before joyfully departing the court.
The women’s tournament has witnessed its second upset in as many days, with the No. 2 ranked team, China, suffering a loss in overtime during their opening pool play match against Spain.
The Opals faced a setback as forward Bec Allen sustained a hamstring injury in their final pre-Olympic warmup game, leading to Amy Atwell taking her place on the roster. Australia began the game positively, scoring the first six points. However, Nigeria quickly gained momentum, taking a 24-22 lead by the end of the first quarter. Kalu, originally from Newark, New Jersey, and a former player at Savannah State, was on target until her fifth three-point attempt, which she missed with 1:24 remaining in the second quarter.
The Nigerian team concluded the half strongly, scoring the last 11 points to establish a 41-28 lead. Nigeria extended their advantage to 45-30 following a layup by Musa with 6:53 left in the game.
The Opals responded with a 10-point run, outscoring Nigeria 19-10 to narrow the gap to 51-47 by the end of the third quarter. Alanna Smith’s three-pointer brought Australia within two points at 58-56 with 6:04 remaining, but that was as close as they would come. When Okonkwo capped off a fast break with a layup with just 50.1 seconds left, the Nigerian players celebrated with their arms raised during an Australian timeout, fully aware that they were on the brink of a significant victory.
Smith scored 15 points for the Opals, while Sami Whitcomb contributed 13 and Jade Melbourne added 11. Australia struggled at the free-throw line, making only 8 of 18 attempts, and committed 26 turnovers, resulting in 26 points for Nigeria.
