By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nigeria put on a fight, however, Australia and especially Patty Mills was on another level. The long-time captain of the Boomers finished the game with 25 points as Australia got the 84-67 win to start the Olympic Basketball tournament with a bang in Group B.
The San Antonio Spurs guard had 5-of-8 three-pointers, with 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals also on his final stat line.
After a really close first half which ended with the Boomers having just a 43-40 lead, Mills took over for good and led Australia to an easy win. Nigeria was still in the game until the end of the third period (58-52) but a 16-6 run followed (74-58) that decided the outcome.
Joe Ingles and Dante Exum added 11 points each for the winning side.
While the Boomers shot 48% from the three-point line (11/23) and missed just two free throws (17/19), Nigeria made just six threes in 22 attempts and shot 50% (12/24) from the charity stripe.
Obi Emegano with 12 points was the top scorer of Nigeria.
Australia and Italy which beat Germany share the top of the Group B standings after the first day of the games. However, the 17-point difference in the defeat for Nigeria might end up being a huge factor in their quest to qualify to the next phase, because not only the top two teams of the three groups qualify but also the two best third-placed teams.