Tulane Green Wave Women's Basketball Assistant Continues Historic Olympic Run
The Tulane Green Wave Women's Basketball team will continue to be represented in the Olympic games as the Nigeria D'Tigress continues to make history.
Green Wave assistant coach Rena Wakama is making her name known as the head coach of the D'Tigress.
Just a few days ago, Nigera made their mark on the record books with their first Olympic victory in 20 years against Australia.
The dream lives on on Sunday as they defeated the Canadian national team by a score of 79-70 and will move on to the quarterfinal round on Wednesday for the first time ever.
Mood rai now….
— DTigress (@DtigressNG) August 4, 2024
Olympics Quarter final dance! 💃🏽 pic.twitter.com/dZlff2AMad
Wakama was hired to take over the role just over a year ago and already made an impact before the games started. Last August, she became the first ever female coach to win the Women's AfroBasketball title.
The D'Tigress came into the games as the most anticipated African country and have lived up to the hype. The only team they've lost to so far has been the host country, France.
Nigeria was led by their point guard Ezinee Kalu on Sunday. She put up an incredible 21 points on an efficient 7-12 from the field with three rebounds and two assists to boot. It was the best performance that the team had seen out of any of their players so far during these games.
What has jumped off the paper so far in their wins has been the defense from Wakama's squad. Matching the total from their victory against Australia, they forced another 26 turnovers in this game. Their opponents also shot just 36.8% from the field and 19.2% from deep.
The game management from a focus standpoint was also impressive, given that they had to overcome a halftime deficit to walk out with a victory. The game was tied after the first quarter and Canada took a four point lead after halftime. Coming out of the break, the D'Tigress took the game over and dominated the third quarter by a 23-5 margin. The Canadians tried for a late push but it wasn't enough.
Tulane may need to look for a new assistant coach soon if the run continues as Wakama continues to make a name for herself on the biggest stage possible.
