In a competitive quarterfinal matchup at the Paris Olympics, Team USA’s women’s basketball team secured an 88-74 victory over Nigeria on Wednesday, extending their Olympic winning streak to 59 games. However, the game ended on a contentious note when Kahleah Copper received a technical foul due to a misunderstanding in the final seconds.
With a significant lead and the game effectively decided, first-time Olympian Copper helped the U.S. dribble out the shot clock, assuming the game was over. However, Nigeria saw an opportunity to score, and Ezinne Kalu drove to the basket for what appeared to be the final two points. As the buzzer sounded, marking an 88-73 win for Team USA, officials called a technical foul on Copper for expressing frustration over Nigeria’s last-second score.
Nigeria’s captain, Amy Okonkwo, took the resulting free throw, making the final score 88-74. U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve explained the situation as an unfortunate misunderstanding.
“We expected that they would then just dribble the clock out,” Reeve said, as reported by Teresa M. Walker of The Associated Press “Apparently their coach (Rena Wakama) told Kalu to go ahead and go score. So we just explained that that was probably not the most respectful thing to do at the end of the day.”
Despite the confusion, the victory allowed Team USA to advance to the semifinals, where they will face Australia. The Opals secured their spot by defeating Serbia 85-67. The other semifinal will feature host France playing Belgium. Team USA, unbeaten since the 1992 Barcelona Games, is now two wins away from achieving an unprecedented eighth consecutive gold medal.
Team USA beats Nigeria to advance to semifinals
The win over Nigeria was marked by a strategic change in the starting lineup. Reeve decided to start Jackie Young over veteran Diana Taurasi to improve the team’s early performance. The decision paid off as the Americans started strong, leading 26-17 after the first quarter. Young made the most of her starting role, contributing 15 points and playing a crucial defensive role.
Taurasi, coming off the bench for the first time since the 2004 Athens Games, supported the decision and emphasized the team’s goal of winning gold.
“I mean, that’s really the only thing that’s important, you know?” Taurasi said, per Doug Feinberg of The Associated Press. “And you know, this team’s just evolving and today was good in certain spots. And there’s still things we’ll get better at for the next game.”
Nigeria put up a strong fight, with Promise Amukamara leading the team with 19 points, Okonkwo adding 17 and Kalu contributing 16.
The historic quarterfinal appearance marked a huge achievement for Nigeria, the first African country to reach this stage in Olympic basketball. The game drew high-profile spectators, including LeBron James, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky.
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