Nigeria caps off eventful first few days in Olympics with surprising win over Australia

VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ, France (AP) — Nigeria's coaches and players soaked in the moment, taking in the cheers from the crowd as they stood at center court.

The team had just pulled off a surprising victory against Australia in the Olympic opener for both teams. It was the first win in the Olympics in 20 years for the African nation.

It happened a few days after the team made the 2 1/2-hour trek from Lille to Paris for the opening ceremony only to be denied access to the country's boat by its own federation because there wasn't enough room, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because the Nigeria delegation has not publicly commented.

“It feels so good. It's been a tough couple of days,” said Amy Okonkwo, who scored 13 points in the win. “We've stuck together and this is what it's about. Like, you overcome adversity and you fight until the finish and you come out with the win.”

The players didn't want to get into the specifics of what happened Friday night.

“I just want to leave the past in the past. I can’t do anything about it,” Okonkwo said. “But what we can do is focus on what we can do on the court and execute our game plan and continue to just take everything in stride and take it one day at a time.”

It has been a difficult few years for Nigeria since the team reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup. The country was winless at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and then internal strife between the basketball federation and the government caused the team to miss playing in the World Cup in 2022.

“Sometimes you fight with your brother, your sister, and the next day you make up and you’re friends again,” said Ezinne Kalu, who had 19 points against Australia. “So that’s all we’ve been doing these past few years. Just fighting and just trying to stay together as a team. And today, prove that we can continue to be great.”

Kalu added that the team has gone through so much off the court, but people haven't been paying attention.

“Nobody cares what we go through off the court," the guard said. "They just see what we do on the court."

It was the country's first win in the Olympics since 2004, when Nigeria beat South Korea 68-64 in the 11th-place game. That's the only other win by an African team in women's basketball at the Olympics. The continent is now 2-36.

“We can do anything we put our minds to," Nigeria coach Rena Wakama said. "I think nobody believed that we could do it, except for the 20 people in my locker room.”

Assistant coach Aisha Mohammed has been a part of both wins now; she was a player on the 2004 team. She saw a lot of similarities between the two victories.

"That game is kind of like this one," she said. “You know the fight from the beginning, you know, at the end, we didn't give up. We kept fighting and fighting.”

The difference was that win over South Korea was at the end of the Olympics, and this one is just the beginning. The Nigerians have a lofty goal of trying to reach the quarterfinals — something no African country has ever done.

It's been a great start to the Olympics for Africa. The South Sudan men's basketball team won its opener in the country's first-ever Olympic game.

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Nigeria head coach Rena Wakama is hugged from behind by coach Djoko Muganguziin after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Nigerian players, left to right, Ezinne Kalu, Murjanatu Musa, Amy Okonkwo, of Nigeria, and Promise Amukamara, celebrate after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Elizabeth Balogun (4) and Promise Amukamara, of Nigeria, celebrate in a women's basketball game against Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Adebola Adeyeye, hugs Elizabeth Balogun, of Nigeria, after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Promise Amukamara, of Nigeria, celebrates after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka has rewarded Kamindu Mendis for his profitable tour of England by moving him up the batting order for the two-test series against New Zealand starting on Wednesday in Galle.

Mendis reaped a century and two half-centuries from his fourth, fifth and sixth career tests over the past month in England, where he was Sri Lanka's player of the series lost 2-1. In his brief test career, he has three hundreds and four fifties.

It was time to move him from No. 7 to No. 5 in the lineup, Sri Lanka coach Sanath Jayasuriya said on Tuesday.

“There was lot of discussion that Kamindu has to move up the order when we were in England. Too often he was batting with the tail and we felt that we need to make the best use of him,” Jayasuriya said.

Former captain Dinesh Chandimal, who occupied the No. 5 slot, has been moved to No. 3 and stripped of wicketkeeping duty. Kusal Mendis, no relation to Kamindu, will keep wickets and bat at No. 7.

Sri Lanka is expected to make two more changes from the side that beat England in the third test last week at the Oval. Seam bowlers Vishwa Fernando and Milan Ratnayake are expected to make way for spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis.

“Our fast bowlers have done well, but it's horses for courses and we have to back spin in Galle,” Jayasuriya said.

Spin-friendly Galle favors the home team, but New Zealand has done well in these contests. Sri Lanka last won a series against the Black Caps in 2009. The last two series in Sri Lanka in 2012 and 2019 ended 1-1.

New Zealand has retired Sri Lanka great Rangana Herath on its staff to help its spinners, but the weather might be a bigger influence. The forecast across the test is not good.

The visitors will be used to that. Rain and a soggy outfield washed out all five days of New Zealand's scheduled one-off test against Afghanistan last week in Greater Noida, India. That was also to be New Zealand's warmup for this series.

“Disappointing, no doubt, but we cannot control the weather,” New Zealand captain Tim Southee said. “It would have been nice to have a test match against an ever improving side. However, we have had some good training and have spent time together both in India and in Galle.”

While New Zealand hasn't played a test since March, it won't be cold for long.

“Eight test matches between now and December is lot of cricket. We are excited," Southee said. "We are ranked three in the World Test Championship and it’s an opportunity for us to get some points and move forward.”

He has another personal milestone in sight, too. Southee needs 20 more wickets to become the second New Zealander to take 400 in tests after Richard Hadlee's 431.

“I have played for a long time and when you do that you come closer to these milestones,” said Southee, who has 100 caps. “We have a lot of tours ahead. Especially in this part of the world. Every game you are going out to do your role and take wickets for the side. It will be nice if I can achieve those milestones. But the focus is on winning games.”

Lineups:

Sri Lanka squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Oshada Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake.

New Zealand squad: Tim Southee (captain), Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson and Will Young.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis during day three of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at The Kia Oval, London, Sunday Sept. 8, 2024. ( John Walton/PA via AP)

Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis bats during day two of the Third Rothesay Men's Test match between England and Sri Lanka in London, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)