By Adebayo Williams
Nigeria’s basketball team, D’Tigers have crashed out of the men’s basketball event of the Rio 2016 Olympics after they were beaten 86-69 by Brazil in their last group game. The team needed a win over the hosts to progress to the quarterfinals of the event. After losing to Argentina, Lithuania and Spain earlier in the competition, D’Tigers equalled t heir woeful performance at the London 2012 Olympics.
Nigeria finished in Rio 2016 with six points, scoring 392 points and conceding 441 points.
In the points breakdown, Nigeria took the first quarter of the game with a one-point lead at 16-15 but the hosts regrouped and took the second quarter 27-15 to lead 42-31 at halftime. D’Tigers took the third quarter 21-17 but lost the last quarter 27-17. The Brazilians were all over the game as they outclassed D’Tigers. They converted 56 per cent of their two-point field goals against Nigeria’s 45 per cent while they made 44 rebounds against Nigeria’s 33. The Brazilians has 27 assists and made 10 steals against Nigeria’s 11 assists and three steals. They had the biggest lead of 20 points before Nigeria could respond.
However, Nigeria got 33 points from the bench against Brazil’s 23 and converted 74 per cent of their free throws against Brazil’s 73 per cent.
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