D’Tigers defeated Korea 108-66 in their final Group B game on Wednesday at the Wuhan Sports Center, The PUNCH reports.
It was D’Tigers first win at the tournament after back-to-back losses to Russia and Argentina.
The win saw Nigeria finish third in Group B behind Argentina and Russia.
Nigeria won all four quarters of the game recording 17-15, 32-16, 30-19 and 29-16.
Michael Eric was outstanding for D’Tigers, posting 17 points, nine rebounds — his best game at the competition, which earned him the prestigious Player of The Game.
Nigeria guard Vincent Nnamdi admitted after the game that D’Tigers failed to meet the targets set prior to the World Cup, despite their big win over Korea.
Nnamdi posted nine points and two rebounds in 19 minutes of action during the encounter.
“That was definitely a very big win for us,” Nnamdi said during the post-match conference.
“Coming here, we had very big expectations but unfortunately, we have not met all of them. It was definitely reassuring to play the brand of basketball that we know we can play and to go out there and play like ourselves and play together (Wednesday)tonight.”
Following the win, D’Tigers will head to Group M in Guangzhou along with Ivory Coast, Korea and Venezuela for the Classification Round 17-32.
Nigeria coach Alex Nwora added that he was pleased with his side’s performance.
“Everything you do here counts. We were not worried about the margin. We were just trying to win the game.
“Fortunately for us, all cylinders were clicking and we were able to put up a lot of points. It came from our defense. Our size and game plan bothered them a lot and we were able to capitalise on that.
“It was very efficient for us to score those points. We did not come into the game thinking how many points we will score. We came in to make sure that we give ourselves a chance to win this game and we were able to do that very well.”
Meanwhile, D’Tigers will face Ivory Coast on Friday at the City Arena in Guangzhou, China, in their opening match of the classification round at the ongoing 2019 FIBA World Cup, The PUNCH reports
Alex Nwora’s side will also take on China at the same venue on Sunday.
