US women respect the history Nigeria has accomplished by making the Olympic basketball quarterfinals
PARIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier and her U.S. teammates admire what Nigeria has done, becoming the first African country to qualify for the Olympic basketball quarterfinals.
They hope to end the feel-good story of the tournament on Wednesday when the two teams play in the elimination round.
“It’s amazing for them. My family’s from Africa. So to see African countries excelling in that way and getting higher and higher places in the sport is amazing to see,” Collier said. “So I’m really happy for them.”
The U.S. and Nigeria are no strangers. They played each other in the Tokyo Olympics opener in 2021, when the Americans came away with a nine-point victory — one of only two games decided by single digits during their 58-game Olympic winning streak. They also played in February at an Olympic qualifying tournament, where the U.S. won 100-46.
The Nigerians opened some eyes with a win over Australia in the first game and then knocked off Canada in their final contest of pool play to advance to the quarterfinals.
“They’re very aggressive and very strong,” Collier said. “So I think we’re going to have to play some really solid team defense and making sure that we’re getting them away from the things that they like to do.”
Breanna Stewart remembers the run that Nigeria made in the 2018 World Cup to the quarterfinals before the U.S. knocked the Africans out.
“Tons of respect to Nigeria for what they’ve been able to do. I feel like they’ve, you know, always been in the mix,” she said. “When you think about World Cups, especially, that they give us their best shot and it just goes to show, you know, how much the sport is growing and the parity amongst, you know, us versus everyone else in the world.”
Nigeria has said the team won't be intimidated by the U.S. When the two teams met in Tokyo, Nigeria forced the U.S. into 25 turnovers. That same pressure defense has caused problems for Australia, France and Canada in the Paris Games so far.
“When we are on the court, we smell blood. Nobody defends quite like us, and that is what keeps us going,” Nigeria guard Ezinne Kalu said after the victory over Australia.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
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