The management of Zenith Bank Plc has commended the national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress for the great feat they achieved in the group opening match of the ongoing Olympic Games.
D’Tigress caused one of the biggest shocks of the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday morning with a 75-62 victory over Australia in the women’s basketball event.
Nigeria posted a spectacular 11-0 run to finish to the first half with a 13-point cushion heading to the break.
Australia’s Opals, who were the big favourites to win, rallied in the third quarter and got to within two points of D’Tigress. But the Nigerians stayed resolute and finished strong in the fourth quarter to close out the famous win.
Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Adaora Umeoji, expressed delight over the amazing feat which has been tagged one of the greatest upsets in the history of Olympic Games basketball event.
Umeoji noted that the bank was proud of the girls especially because it was a historic win by a team that is ‘pet team’ of Zenith Bank
It will be recalled that Zenith Bank has been the sole sponsor of the national women league in the past 19 years and the competition has produced many national team stars for the country.
For example, Murjanatu Musa, who was the MVP of the 2022 Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League, was in the starting line-up for D’Tigress on Monday.
“We are extremely proud of the ladies because they are challenging us as a body to do more for sports development in Nigeria.
“The victory over Australia is a good and the Nigerian spirit was evident in the girls. We are charging them to go all out to achieve more at the ongoing games in Paris, France,”Umeoji said.
Monday’s stunning win was Nigeria’s second win in the Women’s Olympic Basketball tournament, after their 68-64 success against South Korea in 2004.
Also, it is Australia’s first defeat against a team from Africa in 12 games in major competitions (World Cup and Olympics).