D’Tigers’ chief coach, Ayo Bakare has expressed displeasure over the inability of the basketball team to repeat the defeat they handed the world’s best fifth team Lithuania yesterday. Nigeria defeated the Lithuanians during the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Venezuela but yesterday at the basketball arena fell to the better organised Lithuanians 72-53.
Bakare said the Lithuanians played a great game. He fingered injuries in his camp in which five players are either injured or ill, lack of depth in the Nigerian team, poor shooting and inability to move the ball around as responsible for the loss. “In all things we must thank God. It is unfortunate that we lost the game. We didn’t play well offensively. I hate to complain about officiating but my opinion is that the game was also poorly officiated. The referee took things personal against us at the same time the Lithuanians were better. So, I am not sure the result would have been different even if the officiating was different. Overall, Lithuania played a great game. I feel extremely sad about this result. Ibekwe and Dagunduro including three others are all injured or sick so that deprived us of room for rotation of players.”
He said what is on his mind now is how to get out of the hole he has found himself as his dream is to see Nigeria progress to the next round. “We need to win two matches to advance. We have to get out of the hole dug today no matter the team we are playing.”
?