2020 Olympic: US Clinch 50th Consecutive Win As They Defeat D’Tigress 81-72

Nigeria’s female basketball team, D’Tigress, on Tuesday suffered a minor setback as they lost 81-72 to the United States female team in their opening game at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Since losing in the quarterfinals of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the US women have dominated the opposition. Before Tuesday’s game against Nigeria, the Americans have taken the court at the Olympic Games 49 times, and 49 times, they left the floor as winners.

However, it was a brave performance from the African champions who were recently beaten by these same Americans 93-62 in an exhibition game in Las Vegas.

D’Tigress made an impressive 8-1 start at the Saitama Super Arena forcing the US to turn the ball over several times, but the defending champions soon found a way around Nigeria’s full-court press and eventually went into a 9-8 lead with just under five minutes left in the opening quarter.

Friday will see D’Tigress take on France in a game that, based on their performance against the Americans, could see the Nigerians recording their first victory at the Olympics since the 2004 Athens Olympics when a D’Tigress side led by the legendary Mfon Udoka defeated South Korea 68-64.

Aisha Mohammed-Balarabe, who is one of the centres in the current D’Tigress team, recorded a game-leading 13 rebounds in that match played 17 years ago.

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