The tiger losses 72-53 tolithuania in olympic
THE Nigerian male basketball team to the London 2012 Olympic Games, D’Tigers, which gave its countrymen something to savour on Sunday in the midst of several failures at the ongoing Games, was yesterday deflated by Lithuania in their second game of the competition.
Over the weekend, D’Tigers defeated African champion, Tunisia, to lift Nigerians’ spirit following the unprecedented failures of the table tennis, boxing, weightlifting and canoe slalom teams.
However, the team, which was expected to triumph over Lithuania, a team it defeated in the qualifiers for these Games barely three weeks ago, fell like a pack of cards in the face of the renewed fighting spirit displayed by the Eastern Europeans.
Darius Songaila led the Lithuanians with 12 points, while Linas Kleiza added 11 in the game it dominated from the outset. Rimantas Kaukenas finished with 10 points for Lithuania, which bounced back from an opening loss to Argentina.
The result took Nigeria’s tally to 1-1 after opening the tournament with a win over Tunisia. Lithuania has a long basketball pedigree that includes three Olympic bronze medals, while Nigeria is making its first Olympic appearance in men’s basketball. Nigeria shot just 24 per cent from the field and made only one of its 16 three-point attempts.
The Lithuanians led 34-27 at halftime and steadily increased their margin throughout the third quarter. Al-Farouq Aminu and Ike Diogu had double-doubles for Nigeria, with Aminu ending with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Diogu finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Lithuania built a 19-point lead before halftime before Nigeria closed the gap to within seven points, 34-27, by halftime. But Lithuania resumed tormenting Nigeria after halftime, outplaying D’Tigers on both ends of the floor throughout second half.
Nigeria made just one of its 16 attempts from beyond the three-point line and shot just 24 per cent (16-for-66) for overall.
The result avenged a defeat to Nigeria in the Olympic qualifiers and crucially puts Lithuania back on course for the quarter-finals, while it diminishes Nigeria’s prospects of getting off the group. Nigeria meets the event favourite, the United States, tomorrow.
Over the weekend, D’Tigers defeated African champion, Tunisia, to lift Nigerians’ spirit following the unprecedented failures of the table tennis, boxing, weightlifting and canoe slalom teams.
However, the team, which was expected to triumph over Lithuania, a team it defeated in the qualifiers for these Games barely three weeks ago, fell like a pack of cards in the face of the renewed fighting spirit displayed by the Eastern Europeans.
Darius Songaila led the Lithuanians with 12 points, while Linas Kleiza added 11 in the game it dominated from the outset. Rimantas Kaukenas finished with 10 points for Lithuania, which bounced back from an opening loss to Argentina.
The result took Nigeria’s tally to 1-1 after opening the tournament with a win over Tunisia. Lithuania has a long basketball pedigree that includes three Olympic bronze medals, while Nigeria is making its first Olympic appearance in men’s basketball. Nigeria shot just 24 per cent from the field and made only one of its 16 three-point attempts.
The Lithuanians led 34-27 at halftime and steadily increased their margin throughout the third quarter. Al-Farouq Aminu and Ike Diogu had double-doubles for Nigeria, with Aminu ending with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Diogu finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Lithuania built a 19-point lead before halftime before Nigeria closed the gap to within seven points, 34-27, by halftime. But Lithuania resumed tormenting Nigeria after halftime, outplaying D’Tigers on both ends of the floor throughout second half.
Nigeria made just one of its 16 attempts from beyond the three-point line and shot just 24 per cent (16-for-66) for overall.
The result avenged a defeat to Nigeria in the Olympic qualifiers and crucially puts Lithuania back on course for the quarter-finals, while it diminishes Nigeria’s prospects of getting off the group. Nigeria meets the event favourite, the United States, tomorrow.
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