Even in defeat, the Nigeria women's basketball team won more than they lost, and rightly so.
Not much was expected of them going into the Olympic Games , not with the hoops they had to jump through just to get to Paris.
Even less was expected against Team USA , the No. 1-ranked team, who have won the past seven gold medals at the Olympic Games, were riding a 58-game unbeaten streak, and beat D'Tigress 102-46 when they last met, during the Olympic qualifiers earlier this year.
But Nigeria showed in the quarterfinals the same spirit that had seen them previously take down the No. 3 and No. 5-ranked teams, and they came away from the tournament with a lot of credit, and a little more history to go with it.
Their 74 points scored against the U.S . saw them post 73 points or more in consecutive games for the first time at the Olympics, and their 26 points in the fourth quarter is the most the U.S. have conceded in the last quarter in this competition. They also held the U.S. to their lowest winning margin in an Olympic quarterfinal; their previous wins were by 15 points or more.
Wait, there's more.
Nigeria held Team USA to 88 points, the second-lowest tally they have posted at these Olympic Games, while D'Tigress' 74 puts them on par with the other teams the U.S. have defeated: Japan scored 76, Belgium 74 and Germany 68, the trio conceding 102, 87 and 87 respectively.
And to think this was a poor shooting night for Nigeria. They made just one of nine three-point attempts in the first half, and regular sniper Amy Okonkwo just could not get her shots from behind the arc to drop, even when wide open.
By contrast, the U.S. shot 70% from the floor and opened a 30-point lead at one point in the game. But D'Tigress clawed their way back into the game to reduce the margin to a more respectable 14 points at the finish.
On another day, and with a little more luck, it could have been different. In the end, however, the depth and quality of the U.S. proved too much and they were deserving winners.
But D'Tigress won, too. They won the adoration of their fans, the respect of the world, including their opponents, and took pride in their own accomplishments.
"This team is one of a kind," forward Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah said. "I am blessed to be a part of this team and this group. These girls never give up and they always keep fighting through any adversity. We are going out, but I think we are not going out on any kind of negative note. I think we accomplished something big this year and we need to build on this for the future."
It is a hope shared by former captain Mfon Udoka
"I remember in 2004, when we won that last game," Udoka told ESPN. "I remember thinking that this is something to build on. Then we came back and we won AfroBasket in 2005, [but] everything just kind of went downhill from there.
"I am hoping that that doesn't happen again. That we are able to build on this and capitalize on this, and maximize this moment, and not have to go through all of the difficulties that we always have to go through because of the government or federation's lack of being organized or being run properly."
Therein lies the rub, and not just for basketball.
Nigeria coach Rena Wakama echoed Udoka's sentiment when she said after their final pool game, vs. Canada, that while this was the first Nigerian team to make the quarterfinals she hoped it would not be the last.
For Nigeria, building on successes always appears to be a bridge too far.
When the cadet football team won the first FIFA Under 16 World Championship, much was expected to be built from there; it never happened. When the senior men's football team wowed the world at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, it was expected to be the foundation for more success; it never materialized. When Chioma Ajunwa became the first Nigerian -- man or woman -- to win an Olympic gold medal, at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, where she was quickly followed by the men's football team, the floodgates were expected to open; Nigeria's men's 4 x 400 metres relay squad won gold at the 2000 Games in Sydney, but, alas, no more Olympic titles have followed.
So while Nigerians celebrate the accomplishments of D'Tigress this year, there is no guarantee that things will change significantly any time soon. There is still no running national league in the country, and internal divisions remain within the board of the basketball federation even as they continue to battle outside opposition.
And the achievements of this team did not come without being forged in all too familiar -- and avoidable -- fires .
Udoka wants to see change catalyzed by what the women have achieved through sheer determination.
"It's just grit and toughness and Nigerian spirit," she said. "The thing that bothers me is that we've always found a way to get it done in spite of whatever is going on, and I just wonder when we are ever going to get to the point as a country, and as a basketball team, when we do not have to say we did this in spite of poor planning or poor organisation.
"We shouldn't keep having to say we overcame against all odds. It should just be smooth sailing. With the way we've kind of dominated Africa, we are a legitimate team. Why do we keep having to say they won in spite of? That bothers me. I can't wait to do it properly for once.
"Just think how far this team could go if things are done properly, and we could have some of the exceptional talent in the WNBA. Obviously, we have talent all over the world. We have that opportunity to make history, and we've done it. Hopefully, we will build on that."
Such progress could open the doors for Nigeria's national teams to draw on the experience and talent of players from the WNBA , NBA , and beyond.
Three years ago, Nneka Ogwumike and Chiney Ogwumike were denied permission to switch allegiance from the U.S. to represent Nigeria; and Chicago Sky 's Michaela Onyenwere was close to joining this roster, but "she was not cleared to join yet," Nigeria Basketball Federation vice-president Babs Ogunade told ESPN.
The likes of Arike Ogunbowale and Elizabeth Williams also could bring real heavy ammunition to the roster.
How good D'Tigress would be with that depth and quality.
But for now, Nigerians have been celebrating the women who have put their team and country on the map.
Nigeria's sports minister, John Owan Enoh, captured the sentiments.
"By becoming the first [Nigeria] team [male or female] to reach the Olympic quarterfinals, you have made a groundbreaking accomplishment," he said. "Your success has brought joy to Nigerians everywhere."
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