Tag: 2021 Tokyo Olympics

Precious Achiuwa, Nigeria suffer tough loss to Germany in Olympics

Jordan Nwora produced a game-high 33 points but the effort was not enough as Nigeria lost to Germany, falling to 0-2 in Tokyo.

Jordan Nwora produced a game-high 33 points, Miye Oni added 15 points but the effort was not enough as Nigeria was unable to top Germany, falling to 0-2 in the Tokyo Olympics.

Precious Achiuwa registered nine points, two rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal during the 99-92 loss, which tipped off at 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday (9 p.m. Tuesday EDT). He battled foul trouble throughout the contest and finished with 16 minutes of playing time.

Nigeria trailed by 10 points early in the first half, but rallied back to tie the contest up at 50 points apiece at the intermission. They opened up the third quarter on a run, taking a 14-point lead midway through the period, but allowed Germany back into the contest for good.

Germany, who was led with 19 points by Johannes Voightmann and 17 points from Mo Wagner, outscored Nigeria 25-18 in the final frame to improve to 1-1 in Group B.

The loss to Germany comes after Nigeria was defeated 84-67 by Australia in its opener on Sunday. Obi Emegano paced Nigeria with 12 points while Josh Okogie had 11 points and Achiuwa chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and three steals.

After losing its first two contests, Nigeria faces long odds to advance out of Group B into the quarterfinals. They will wrap up preliminary play on Saturday (12:40 a.m. EDT) against Italy in a matchup that could prove to be meaningless for Achiuwa & Co.

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The men’s basketball quarterfinals in the Olympics will start on Aug. 3 and consist of the top two teams in each group from the preliminary phase plus the two best third-place teams.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Usman Garuba, Spain begin Tokyo Olympics with win over Japan

Garuba logged 15 minutes of work as Spain defeated Japan to begin its stay in Tokyo.

Ricky Rubio on Monday tied a game-high with 20 points, Victor Claver scored 13 points and Marc Gasol added 12 points to lead Spain to an 88-77 victory over Japan in the Tokyo Olympics.

Usman Garuba, a projected first-round pick in the NBA draft, produced one point, six rebounds and one blocked shot as Spain opened up its stay in Tokyo with a strong win over the hometown team. Alex Abrines also scored 11 points and Pau Gasol had nine points.

The two teams played a close game through midway of the second quarter. With the game tied up at 26 points apiece, Spain then reeled off a 19-0 run to take a 48-28 lead at halftime. Japan cut the lead to 10 points late in the third but could not get any closer.

With the win, Spain now sits atop the standings in Group C, along with Slovenia after they beat Argentina on Monday. Spain will return to action on Thursday versus Argentina as a win will likely ensure they advance to the quarterfinals.

The men’s basketball quarterfinals in the Olympics will start on Aug. 3 and consist of the top two teams in each group from the preliminary phase plus the two best third-place teams.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Precious Achiuwa, Nigeria drop opening game to Australia in Olympics

Patty Mills scored a game-high 25 points to lead Australia to the 84-67 victory over Nigeria.

Precious Achiuwa and Nigeria dropped their opening game in the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday to Australia as Patty Mills scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Boomers to the 84-67 victory.

Nigeria was paced with 12 points by Obi Emegano while Josh Okogie had 11 points and Achiuwa chipped in 10 points. He finished with six rebounds, three steals, two assists and one blocked shot on 4-of-9 shooting from the field.

The first half between the two teams proved to be very competitive with Nigeria trailing by just three points at halftime. The contest remained close in the third quarter before Australia pulled away in the final period, outscoring Nigeria 26-15.

The loss dropped Nigeria to the bottom of the standings in Group B. They will return to action on Wednesday versus Germany, essentially a must-win game to maintain ground and remain in contention for the quarterfinals set to begin on Aug. 3.

Achiuwa is one of eight active NBA players to make the final roster for Nigeria. He offers the team a strong presence inside and often does the dirty work on the court, something head coach Mike Brown said was similar to how Draymond Green plays.

While Nigeria lost, the group can bounce back on Wednesday versus Germany, which lost to Italy on Sunday. A loss to the Germans will likely end any hope of advancing out of Group B to the quarterfinals.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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