Nigeria’s point guard, Ben Uzoh has said that the D’Tigers fell short in their 81-94 loss to Argentina at
the FIBA World Cup in China yesterday.
The Nigerians were hoping to win their first game of the tournament when they took on the Argentines
but they were wasteful and it was not a surprise that the Argentine took control of the game to record
their second win.
Uzoh said: “We really wanted to win this game but unfortunately we fell short. We had moments when we got down, fought back but Argentina came back and won. They play as a team. As a country, we would like to continue to immerse ourselves and to win games.
“We still have another game and we will make adjustments. I did not do so well but I was trying to be defensive-minded and be a leader. Overall as a team, we are still trying to make adjustments,” Uzoh added.
Coach Alex Nwora said he was proud of the team despite the loss and commended them for their fighting
spirit.
“I am proud of my team. We fought hard. There are a couple of plays that were crucial that could have gone our way but they did not. This is a very young team that does not have experience but if they stay together, we can do a lot more.
“We are still one of the best teams in Africa in my opinion but we have not yet shown it. I thought it would be this time but obviously we still have some things to improve. We have played very good teams that have a good culture of basketball. They have been together for about 15 years. That is a fact. My team gave their best. We will get better as a team,” Nwora added.
Argentina coach, Sergio Hernandez commended the Nigerian team for their athleticism and said he had
to stop Nigeria’s fast breaks in the third quarter.
He said: “Before the game, I knew that it will be tough and a definitive game to determine. Nigeria is a great team, strong and runs the floor. One of the best things that Argentina did was to stop the first break in the third quarter.