Ezinna Kalu scored 21 points as Nigeria made Olympic history by becoming the first African team, male or female, to reach the Olympic basketball quarterfinals after beating Canada 79-70 on Sunday.
The Nigerians (2-1) are now waiting to find out who they will play next. They have already won twice in pool play, which is double the number of wins for a country that came to France seeking its first Olympic victory since the 2004 Athens Games.
They celebrated at midcourt, with an assistant coach using her phone to capture the moment. The team stopped to high-five the Canadian players before returning to their celebration with a midcourt huddle.
An assistant coach took a flag from a fan for some photos on the court, and the Nigerians took their time hugging and posing for more pictures as they enjoyed their achievement.
Canada, ranked fifth in the world, ended their group play without a win, eliminated on the last day of group play by a team ranked 12th.
Five countries had already secured spots in the quarterfinals: the U.S., aiming for an eighth consecutive Olympic gold, and Spain, Serbia, France, and Germany.
The draw for the quarterfinals will be set after the final game between Australia and the host nation, France.
Nigeria did not qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and went winless in Tokyo. This women’s team missed Nigeria’s boat for the opening ceremony on July 26, but they will now play on Wednesday at Bercy Arena by the Seine River.
Nigeria scored the first six points of the game. Captain Amy Okonkwo injured her right shoulder early in the second quarter after colliding with Canadian forward Aaliyah Edwards while diving for a loose ball. Canada took a 41-37 lead into halftime.
Okonkwo returned in the third quarter, when Nigeria started with a 13-1 run. The Nigerians outscored Canada 23-5 in the third quarter and led 60-46 going into the fourth.
