Australia Dominates, Hands Miye Oni, Nigeria Loss In Exhibition
Jul 13, 2021, 9:43 PM | Updated: 9:46 pm
Dante Exum #11 of the Australia Boomers brings the ball up the court against Argentina during an exhibition game at Michelob ULTRA Arena ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games on July 10, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Australia defeated Argentina 87-84. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Joe Ingles’s Australia beat Miye Oni and Nigeria in a battle of unbeaten teams during the pre-Olympic friendlies in Las Vegas.
Ingles did not play in the Boomers’ 108-69 victory on Tuesday, July 13.
Oni scored three points on 1-4 shooting. He added two assists, one steal, and a block in 18 minutes on the court.
Chris Goulding’s 21 points led Australia. Former Jazzman Dante Exum added six points, three rebounds, and five assists.
Dante Exum put 'em in the spin cycle 🌀#GoBoomers | #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/nISjuPmch0
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) July 14, 2021
Josh Okogie and Obi Emegano each scored 10 points to lead Nigeria.
Click here to see the full box score.
What a win! The Boomers’ show complete domination over Nigeria, claiming a 39-point win!@ChrisGoulding43 on 🔥 hitting 7x3PT at 100% accuracy!
🇦🇺: 108
🇳🇬: 69#WeAreBasketball pic.twitter.com/mm1momq3gv— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) July 14, 2021
Australia Upcoming Schedule
Australia has one more pre-Olympic friendly against Team USA on Friday in a rematch of Tuesday’s surprising 91-83 on Tuesday.
Ingles scored 17 points, grabbed four rebounds, and handed out three assists in the victory.
Australia belongs to Group B at the Olympics Group B alongside Nigeria, Italy, and Germany. The Olympic tournament is made up of 12 teams, separated into three groups. The top two teams from each group will advance out of the group play at the Olympics, along with the two best third-place teams.
HT:
A complete and dominant performance from the Boomers over the first half as we extend our lead to 20-points going into the main break!
🇦🇺49
🇳🇬29Let’s keep it going! 👊👊#WeAreBasketball pic.twitter.com/dg1wpcMnCX
— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) July 14, 2021
Those teams will then compete for the opportunity to face off in the gold and bronze medal games. Australia has never medaled at the Olympics but is considered among the favorites to compete for the medal stand in this year’s games.
Olympic Games:
July 25 vs. Nigeria
July 28 vs. Italy
July 31 vs. Germany
Nigeria Upcoming Schedule
Nigeria now must trim their 15 man roster to just 12 to meet the Olympic requirement before beginning group play on July 25.
The Nigerian national team will play alongside Australia, Italy, and Germany in Toyko.
The Kings and Queens of African basketball.
The only African country to ever have both the men’s and women’s teams in the Olympics at the same time. @DtigressNG pic.twitter.com/GWRXZN1nlU
— D’Tigers | Nigeria Basketball (@NigeriaBasket) July 14, 2021
Nigeria wasn’t expected to compete for a medal but after a strong start to the pre-Olympic friendlies, including Saturday’s 90-87 over Team USA and Tuesday’s win over Argentina, they appear to be a threat to make it into medal contention.
Olympic Games:
July 25 vs. Australia
July 28 vs. Germany
July 31 vs. Italy
You can find all of our Olympic coverage leading up to the Tokyo Games here.
