Nigeria kept their slim Olympic hopes alive thanks to a surprising victory over Croatia.
Fueled by a strong third-quarter run, the Nigerians powered their way past the Croatians to a 90-76 victory. Three-point shooting was one of the biggest difference-makers in this one, with Nigeria lighting it up from outside to the tune of 17-36 from behind the arc. Croatia, on the other hand, struggled to find the bucket and only shot 6-28 on threes.
Nigerian guard Michael Umeh provided an offense spark, putting up a team-high 19 points to go with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Save for one lone free throw, all his points came on threes.
Rebounds were another area in which Nigeria controlled the game, outrebounding the Croatians 47-26. Former NBA player Ike Diogu was one of the biggest contributors for Nigeria, crashing the glass for a game-high 12 boards.
Bojan Bogdanovic did what he could, putting up a game-high 28 points on 8-15 shooting from the field and 9-12 from the line. He was one of only two Croatian players to hit double digits though.
Each team has one game left in group play before the elimination rounds begin. With the loss, Croatia is no longer in contention for the No. 1 seed, while Nigeria remains alive thanks to their first win of the preliminary round.