WVU alum Blessing Ejiofor helps Nigeria women's basketball to first Olympic victory in 20 years

Former West Virginia women’s basketball alumni Blessing Ejiofor was able to take part in something quite special on Monday.

Competing with the Nigerian national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ejiofor and her teammates were able to upset Australia 75-62 in their opening matchup of the group play stage -- the win marked the first Olympic victory for Nigeria in the sport since 2004, ending a 20-year drought.

Ejiofor saw time on the court in the win in a smaller but significant role, coming off the bench to play just under seven minutes and recording two points and one steal in the game.

For the team, the win helped turn around a rough start to the Olympics that saw them denied entry onto the Nigerian boat for the Opening Ceremony parade on the Seine after a 2 ½ hour, 138 mile trip to Paris for the ceremony from Lille, where preliminary sessions are being held. The team missed the bus to return to Lille due to the chaos, spending the night in Paris and missing a practice session.

Nigeria will next face host nation France on Thursday, August 1st, with tip-off scheduled for 11 EST.