Crushing Loss To Team USA Prompts Nigeria Player’s Honest Admission

Team USA proved to be too much to handle for Nigeria as the reigning Olympic champion came away with an 88-74 win on Wednesday over the African powerhouse.

There is nothing for Nigeria to be ashamed of, though. Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah and company still had an incredible showing at the 2024 Paris Olympics despite failing to advance to the semifinal round.

"This team is one of a kind,” Kunaiyi-Akpanah said after Nigeria’s loss at the hands of the United States, per FIBA’s official website .

“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."

Kunaiyi-Akpanah chipped in eight points to go with eight rebounds, an assist, and a steal against Team USA. Promise Amukamara paced Nigeria with 19 points, while Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu had 17 and 16 points, respectively.

Team USA’s size bothered Nigeria. That was very much evident in the rebounding disparity. The United States grabbed 44 rebounds to just 28 by Nigeria. Moreover, Team USA had 33 bench points while Nigeria got just nine points from its second unit.

Nevertheless, Nigeria can call its Paris trip a success overall, having advanced to the knockout phase and going 2-1 in group play.

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