February 09, (THEWILL) – The USA women’s basketball team produced a dominant performance to demolish Nigeria 100-46 at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp on Friday. Coming off a thrilling last gasp win against Belgium, this was a completely rampant showing from the USA as they improved to 2-0 in Group A.
The contest was effectively over by half-time after the USA put together a devastating 32-7 second quarter scoring run. Their fast-paced offence and intense defensive pressure overwhelmed Nigeria, who had no tactic against the pressure. Guard Sabrina Ionescu, led the USA’s statistical domination with 9 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.
The stats portrayed the total control the USA had as they led almost every category. A telling factor was their 48% three-point shooting compared to Nigeria’s lowly 11%. Nigeria coach, Rene Wakama, conceded afterwards her team “lacked the focus and fire” to stay competitive.
USA coach, Cheryl Reeve, was pleased with her team’s progress and guard rotation as they continue to expand their game. For Nigeria, it was a chastening defeat and they will need to recover quickly before Saturday’s decisive final group match.
This was a complete mismatch as Nigeria had no response to the USA’s blistering speed, athleticism and offence. The USA have already secured their quarter-final spot and remain strong contenders to claim another gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
