Head coach of the Nigerian Women’s basketball team, Rena Wakama, has disclosed the motivation behind D’Tigress’ win over Canada after losing to France at the ongoing Olympic Games.
The African women’s champions suffered a 75-54 loss to the host in their previous game but booked a place in the quarter-finals after defeating the Canadian team on Sunday afternoon.
D’Tigress won their opening game against world number three Australia and rallied to a 79-70 win in their last group fixture to set up a quarter-final clash with U.S.A.
In an interview with FIBA.com, the 32-year-old coach believes they derive their motivation from being together, and their loss against France put them back on track.
“When we are focused on something and when we all come together, we are powerful. Our whole team, support staff, and coaches have the same mindset—a winning mindset,” Coach Wakama said.
She added, “I am glad we did have that loss because we were able to get back to what we do best. Also, there’s no pressure now on us, and we have shown everyone that we deserve to be playing here.”
The Nigerian Women’s Basketball team hopes to reach the semis when they face favourites the U.S.A. in the next round on Wednesday.