Gabe Vincent produced a game-high 21 points and Precious Achiuwa hauled in an important rebound late to lead Nigeria to an upset win in exhibition play over USA Basketball on Saturday.
Vincent hit six 3-pointers in the contest during the 90-87 win in the exhibition opener from Las Vegas, Nevada. Nigeria trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter to pull off the comeback win and become the first African country to defeat the United States.
Achiuwa finished with a strong effort versus the U.S. and hauled in a key rebound late to seal the win for Nigeria. He had perhaps one of the top highlights of the game after denying Kevin Durant at the rim in the second quarter.
Precious Achiuwa with the big block for Nigeria!
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The Americans entered the contest as 28.5-point favorites by some sportsbooks, marking the loss one of the largest upsets in international play. Durant led the U.S. with 17 points and five rebounds while Jayson Tatum had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Despite the contest being just an exhibition, the win for Nigeria proved to be monumental and among the greatest upsets in the sport. The U.S. had gone 39-0 over its last three Olympic runs, including exhibition games, en route to gold medals.
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Nigeria, which boasts a roster with eight active NBA players, qualified for the Olympics after becoming the top African country in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. They will open play in Group B, which also features Australia, Italy and Germany.
The presence of Nigerian-born players or those of Nigerian heritage was on full display in the NBA this year. Including Achiuwa, there were seven players drafted last year that were either from the country or have at least one parent born there.
Nigeria will face Argentina next on Monday while the U.S. will play Australia.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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