Paris 2024: France Overpowers Nigeria’s D’Tigress

In a thrilling matchup at the Paris Olympic Games, host nation France asserted their dominance over Nigeria’s D’Tigress, securing a convincing 75-54 victory. Despite a strong start, Nigeria’s women’s basketball team struggled to maintain momentum, ultimately succumbing to France’s impressive shooting display and aggressive defense.
The game began with a promising start for Nigeria, as Murjanatu Musa scored the first two buckets and drew a foul, making the subsequent free throws. However, France quickly gained control, going on a 6-0 run to establish an early lead. Nigeria’s Ezinne Kalu sparked a comeback, sinking a 3pt shot to cut the deficit to 5pts, but France maintained their advantage, leading 24-20 at the end of the first quarter.
Nigeria continued to fight, with Murjanatu Musa and Elizabeth Balogun making crucial plays to reduce the deficit to 2pts. However, France’s Gabby Williams stretched the lead back to 4pts, and the hosts maintained a 7pt advantage at halftime (38-31).

Second half
The second half proved challenging for Nigeria, as they struggled with turnovers and shooting. France capitalized on Nigeria’s mistakes, stretching their lead to 15pts by the end of the third quarter (54-39). Despite a valiant effort, Nigeria couldn’t overcome the deficit, ultimately losing 75-54.
Nigeria’s D’Tigress will look to bounce back in their next match against Canada on Sunday. The team’s performance against France demonstrated their potential, but they must address their turnovers and shooting woes to compete with the world’s top teams.