Basketball
VIDEO: FIBA NEWS REPORT HAILS THE DOGGEDNESS OF NIGERIA’S D’TIGERS
Russia survived a tight battle with Nigeria, coming back from eight points down in the fourth quarter for a crucial 82-77 victory to start Group B play at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
Mikhail Kulagin paced Russia with 16 points while TCL Player of
the Game Andrey Vorontsevich scored 14 points, Andrey Zubkov added 12 points, 4
rebounds and 4 assists and Vitaly Fridzon chipped in 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4
assists and 4 steals. Josh Okogie was Nigeria’s leading scorer with 18 points
while veteran star Ike Diogu was scoreless in 16 minutes of action.
Turning Point: Russia trailed 71-63 with under 6 minutes to go but used the full court press to charge back into the game with a 10-0 run to take the lead. Russia proved the better finishers down the stretch as they connected on 7 of 8 free throws in the final 32 seconds and benefited from an unsportsmanlike foul on Okogie with 10.6 seconds to play.
TCL Player of the Game: Vorontsevich saved his best for the final quarter, having totalled just 5 points in the first 35 minutes. Then he had 5 points in the big 10-0 spurt to change the momentum and added 4 more points in the final 2 minutes, finishing with 14 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.
Stats Don’t Lie: Russia converted 11 of 27 three-pointers for 41 percent while Nigeria lagged behind at 7 of 21 for 33 percent. Russia also forced Nigeria into 21 turnovers.
Bottom Line: In a group with Argentina, this game was of major importance as both teams are looking to reach the Second Round. Russia managed to pick up the victory and hope to make it two straight on Monday September 2 against Korea. Nigeria’s task doesn’t get any easier as their next game is against Argentina on the same day.
They Said: “”For this kind of a game, (8-point lead) really was a big lead. But we went with the small lineup, we made two quick three-pointers and that helped us to endure over the last two minutes. And in the last two minutes we were better, more concentrated, smarter and had a little (bit of) luck, too.” – Russia head coach Sergey Bazarevich
“We talked about staying together, focus, not lose concentration, because this situation was really bad for your feelings, when you try to do something over and over again. One steal after the timeout, we were a little bit risky about that, and that was (coach Sergey Bazarevich’s) thing. For us, the main thing was to stay together, because we showed the basketball that we play. We play defense together, we help each other on defense, and we share the ball on offense. That was the main thing for us.” – Russia forward Andrey Vorontsevich
“We wanted to make them take contested two pointers, and we’ve been doing that successfully. Then, we allowed them three easy threes. When you allow a team like Russia three threes straight, they will punish you.” – Nigeria’s Josh Okogie about losing the 8-point lead in the final quarter
FIBA
Musa Kida, the president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), has been appointed as a non-executive chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the country’s apex oil company. His appointment is part of the sweeping overhaul that the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu made in the first working day after the Sallah break.
The sacking of the board of the NNPC sees the appointment of Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), replacing Mele Kolo Kyari. Prior to his current appointment, Kida was the Deputy Managing Director, Deep Water Services, of Total Nigeria.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Basketball
NSC DG Bukola Olopade Congratulates NBBF Boss Musa Kida for new appointment as NNPC Chairman
The Director General of the National Sports Commission NSC, Bukola Olopade, has congratulated the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Musa Kida, for his appointment as the new Board Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Olopade said Musa Kida has been one of Nigeria’s most efficient and Productive Sports administrators who has sacrificed a lot for the growth of Nigerian Basketball.
The DG maintained that his latest appointment is a testament to his years of passion, hard work, dedication and a very successful track record in the oil sector for more than two decades.
” Musa Kida is an accomplished administrator whose achievements cut across both the oil sector and Nigerian basketball. I have no doubt that the NNPC Limited will attain better efficiency and attract more investment under his watch”.
” Under his leadership as the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, we have seen the steady growth of the country’s basketball and how the National teams have continued to achieve new heights.
” At the last Olympic Games in France, the Nigeria Women’s Basketball team, D’Tigress was one of the shining stories for Team Nigeria, where they set a new record by making it to the knockout phase before losing to the United States”.
” I personally know the efforts behind the scenes that kida put in for Nigeria to achieve that feat with the girls in France and the Nigerian girls have been an unrivalled team on the continent for some time now”.
The DG added that he does not doubt that Musa Kida will use his new position to further earnest the development of Nigerian Sports especially basketball especially now that there is a new focus on growing a sustainable Sports Economy.
” Whilst the Oil sector will benefit immensely from the Expertise of Musa Kida as the new Board Chairman of the NNPC Limited, Mr President, has further helped to place Nigerian Sports in a better pedestal by putting one of us in a very strategic place like the NNPC”, he concluded.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Basketball
FIBA names Nigeria’s Agada among those who starred the most on the last day of the 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers
The 16 teams that will be competing at this year’s FIBA AfroBasket from 12-24 August have been confirmed, with some teams securing their places on the final day of qualifying.
A quintet of individuals put in stellar performances to send their teams to this year’s African championship in style.
Teams have 169 days to prepare for the 2025 edition of the AfroBasket set to be hosted by former champions Angola, who will be chasing a record-extending 12th title.
FIBA- Africa looked at the matches and the players and featured nine players who were the stars of the final day on Sunday.
Here is FIBA’s analysis: The return of the Tokyo Olympian has been a blessing for Abdulrahman Mohammed’s Nigeria.
For the second game in a row, Agada was a thorn in their side’s side, scoring 23 points in a convincing 77-62 win over 2021 AfroBasket semifinalists Cape Verde.
The 30-year-old played just over 30 minutes and finished two rebounds shy of a double-double while adding six assists and five steals for an efficiency rating of 29.
Nigeria entered the competition after an 0-3 start, but his disruptive presence on the floor helped them to a 3-0 run to qualify, averaging 19 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
The other players highlighted are: Ousmane Drame of Guinea, Karim Maneof Senegal, Childe Dundao of Angola, Siriman Kanoute of Mali, as well as Ntore Habimana (Rwanda) Aliou Fadiala Diarra (Mali) Allan Dokossi (Central African Republic)and Nisre Zouzoua (Cote d’Ivoire)
Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Remo Stars are Nigeria’s 21st League Champions
AMAC Crowned Inaugural Champions of FCT FA Women’s Inter-Area Councils Football Tournament
Ayanwale, Aiyelabegan set to defend titles at 2025 National Table Tennis Championships in Osun
- WOMEN'S FOOTBALL1 week ago
Naira rain falls on Nigeria’s Flamingos after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria
- OBITUARY5 days ago
NFF mourns the demise of former FIFA referee, Bosede Momoh
- Nigerian Football3 days ago
Financial rainfall awaits Nigeria’s Flamingos for every goal scored in Algeria
- U-17 AFCON1 week ago
Morocco crowned CAF U-17 AFCON champions after dramatic penalty shootout win over Mali
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Nigeria begin CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations title chase with Tunisian clash
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Remo Stars maintain ‘7Up’ lead over Rivers United
- feature5 days ago
Ghana’s Cardinal, Appiah Turkson, listed as a possible Pope
- Nigerian Football4 days ago
Former WAFU President, Ogufere mourns Christian Chukwu