Nigeria’s women have become the first African basketball team to reach an Olympic quarter-final after beating Canada 79-70 in Paris.
The 12th-ranked Nigerian women secured their place in the last eight with a second victory, overcoming world number five Canada in a tense group stage match.
Ezinne Kalu led the scoring for Nigeria with 21 points. Elizabeth Balogun added 14 and Promise Amukamara 12 as they pulled away in the second half.
Nigeria outscored Canada 23-5 in a decisive third quarter, taking a 60-46 lead into the final period. Shay Colley top-scored for Canada with 17 points, supported by Bridget Carleton (13) and Kayla Alexander (12).
The victory sparked jubilant scenes, with Nigerian players and staff celebrating at mid-court after the final whistle. An assistant coach used her phone to record the moment, while another grabbed a flag from a fan for photos.
It marks a significant milestone for Nigerian women’s basketball. The team had won just once previously at the Olympics – in Athens 2004 – and failed to qualify for Rio 2016.
Their success is particularly noteworthy given that the women’s team was denied access to Nigeria’s boat for the opening ceremony on 26 July.
Nigeria join five pre-qualified teams in the women’s quarter-finals: USA, Spain, Serbia, France and Germany. They will face one of the tournament favourites on Wednesday at Bercy Arena.
In other women’s results, the USA beat Germany 87-68, extending their Olympic winning streak to 58 games. Belgium’s women defeated Japan 85-58 to clinch the last quarter-final spot, with Emma Meesseman scoring 30 points.
Canada’s women exit the tournament without a win from their three group matches, a disappointing outcome for the world’s fifth-ranked team.
The draw for the women’s quarter-finals will take place following the final group game between Australia and hosts France.
