BRNO (Czechia) - There were celebrations from Nigeria on the final buzzer against China as they recorded a dramatic ground-breaking success with their maiden FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup victory.
In a roller-coaster encounter, they eventually squeezed out their opponents 93-88 in a real thriller to get off to the perfect start, while also defying pre-tournament expectations they might even struggle to get a win on the board.
I took inspiration because I went to Paris 2024 with my family
An incredible performance from Nora Ezike proved to be the difference-maker. She went a perfect 8 of 8 from the field and finished with a sparkling 25 points, 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals in her first ever game wearing her nation's jersey. "I am so excited as it's an honor to represent my country and it's so exciting to get this first win," she said after the famous success. "The key to the game was sticking to what we had practiced and what we said we were going to do heading into the game - as well as never giving up.
"We played good defense and kept supporting each other, while at the end of the game when you are up, you have to be able to slow down and we didn't rush and we kept our composure." The win also evoked memories of D'Tigress Olympic heroics at Paris 2024 when they became the first African nation to win two games and the first to make the Quarter-Finals of the Games.
It was a fact not lost on Ezike who added: "I took inspiration because I went to Paris 2024 with my family and I watched Nigeria's games.
"It was really great to see how far they went." Now the next challenge for Nigeria is to make sure their first day of joy is not a one-off and they also take further historical strides forward.
FIBA