D’Tigress power forward Amy Okonkwo credited the team’s victory over Australia’s Opals to their unwavering determination and resilience in overcoming the challenges they faced on their Olympic journey.
Defying all expectations, Nigeria stunned the world with a 75-62 upset over Australia, marking their inaugural Olympic victory. This historic win comes after a challenging eight-game losing streak since their Olympic debut in Athens in 2004.
Okonkwo was one of the most impressive players for Nigeria in the victory raking in 13 points in 26 minutes on the court while also complementing her teammates Ezinne Kalu (19 points), and Promise Amukamara (14 points).
Reacting to the team’s performance and the win, Okonkwo hailed the fighting spirit displayed by the girls to hold off Australia despite their continued fight to get into the game.
“It feels so good. We stuck together and we came together in adversity. This is what it is all about – you fight,” Nigeria forward Amy Okonkwo.
More Read
Nigeria arrived at the competition under less-than-ideal circumstances. Limited preparation, with just two unsuccessful warm-up games, combined with the added disappointment of being excluded from the opening ceremony, created a challenging environment for the team.
Reacting to the loss, Opals forward, Alanna Smith blamed her side for turning over the basketball too many times which led to them getting punished.
“We turned the ball over way too much and we were not ready to step up to the physicality of the game. Turning the ball over though was the crux of the game,” Smith said.
“We didn’t play Opals’ basketball and we weren’t aggressive defensively. We have to be better. We have to find a way” Opals’ head coach, Sandy Brondello added.
© Bold Media Innovations & Creative Hub Limited. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
