Nigeria’s male basketball team, D’Tigers were handed a stuttering start at the Tokyo Olympics, following an 84-67 defeat to Australia in their opening game at the Saitama Arena in Tokyo on Sunday.
D’Tigers handed an impressive showing against the Aussies in the first two quarters of the match, as both teams ended the first quarter 22-22.
In the second quarter, Nigeria fought valiantly against an experienced Australian side. But the Boomers tore away in the third quarter, and went on to consolidate their victory in the fourth with a 17 point lead.
While Nigeria has never beaten Australia in past encounters, Sunday’s performance showed a lot of improvement.
D’Tigers will hope to bounce back from the defeat when they face Germany in their second game. Thereafter, Italy.
Meanwhile, the group’s other game saw Italy defeat Germany by 92-82.
