Nigeria Defeat Argentina 94-71 In Pre-Olympic Basketball Friendly

The D’Tigers started their preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a 94-71 friendly win over fourth-ranked Argentina in Las Vegas on Monday.

Both sides were aggressive in their approach, but the Argentines led 19-17 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the D’Tigers stepped up their game, outscoring the South Americans 26-14 to take a 10-point advantage into halftime, 43-33.

Ekpe Udoh had a block to start the second quarter before scoring the first points of the quarter, while Precious Achiuwa had the most rebounds in the second quarter.

At halftime, Jahil Okafor, who did not play in the team’s win over the United States on Sunday, had eight points and five rebounds. He had 15 points and seven rebounds at the end of the contest.

With eight points in the first half, Nicolás Laprovttola led the Argentines in scoring.

In the third quarter, the D’Tigers put their foot on the accelerator, amassing a 19-point advantage to close the quarter 74-55.

The team’s effort was consolidated in the fourth quarter, and they won the game 94-71.

Head coach Mike Brown will have a selection headache as a result of the squad’s performance, as he is scheduled to name his final 12-man roster on July 17 before the team departs for Tokyo.

Nigeria is in Group B with Australia, Italy, and Germany, and will face Australia in their first match on July 25 at the Saitama Super Arena.

The D’Tigers scored more field goals against the Argentines than they did against the United States, where they scored 60 points from the three-point line.