Nigeria’s fairytale run at the FIBA World Cup in Spain came to an end on Friday following a 70-41 defeat to the United States of America (USA).
The D’Tigress went right at the U.S. and built a 17-9 lead after one quarter.
After almost every basket, Nigeria coach Otis Hughley — who grew up in New York — was pumping his fist and cheering his team on.
On the other end, the U.S. couldn’t buy a point.
The Americans missed 14 of their 16 shots in the opening period and had eight turnovers while looking completely out of sync.
It was the lowest scoring quarter of the tournament for the U.S.
But as the game progressed, the Nigerians fainted while the Americans gained more intensity.
In the end, however, it was the reigning champions who triumphed.
“We did a lot of things right, we just couldn’t sustain,” Hughley said. “We gave them our best shot, it just got away from us.”
The D’Tigress will return home with heads up high as the first African nation to reach the last eight.
