In a thrilling display, the Rena Wakama-led women defeated the Australians 75-62 on Monday at Pierre Mauroy Stadium.

The squad hadn’t triumphed in an Olympic competition since they lost to South Korea in the preliminary round in Athens 2004, so this was their first victory since then.

Nigeria was ranked 12th and Australia was ranked third in the competition’s power ranking.
However, the disparity in quality indicated by the ranking vanished as soon as the game began.

D’Tigress dominated the Australians right away, as Amy Okonkwo, Ezinne Kalu, and Murjanatu Musa shot with exceptional ease and scraped loose balls.

Nigeria had an 18–17 advantage at the end of the first quarter, and by the half, that lead had grown to 41–28.
At the peak of her game, Kalu skillfully made three-pointers, and Murjanatu’s steals and blocks forced Nigeria to commit turnovers.

D’Tigress managed to hold on for a historic victory despite the Opals’ comeback in the third quarter and the first few minutes of the fourth.

On Thursday, the team will play its second Group B match against France.