Having made history, Nigeria need Olympic miracle against US women

Nigeria advancing out of the group stage of the Paris Olympics women's basketball tournament was a surprise. A quarterfinal win over the United States on Wednesday would qualify as an Olympic miracle.

D'Tigress have already made history in Paris, becoming the first African team - men's or women's - to reach the last eight in Olympic basketball. Bringing an end to the United States' 58-match winning streak and run of seven consecutive gold medals would be a contender for biggest upset in sporting history.

"You can do hard things," said Nigerian guard Amy Okonkwo. "You can do anything that you set your mind to. It doesn’t matter where you’re born or where you come from.

"You can do it."

Nigeria may bring buckets of enthusiasm and belief to the Bercy arena on Wednesday but will need much more to turn the tide on the mighty Americans, who have won all five previous meetings including their most recent, a 100-46 thrashing in an Olympic qualifying event in February.

Led by Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson, who are averaging 20.3 points a game, the US tops the tournament in scoring and rebounds, but its three-point shooting and intensity have been less than spectacular.

Still, the Americans have depth that no other team can come close to matching and experience led by Diana Taurasi, who is chasing a sixth Olympic gold medal.

"We're not the USA, the dynasty, without it," said US coach Chery Reeve. "I think it's what defines the dynasty, the depth of talent that the USA has."

Nigeria look to Ezinne Kalu, who is averaging 19.3 points per game, for scoring. But the side's success is built around an aggressive team defence that leads the tournament in steals.

The other quarterfinal matchups will see host France taking on Germany, Serbia facing Australia and Spain against Belgium.

• Paris Olympics: UAE's Omar Al Marzouqi qualifies for individual show jumping final