Farouq delighted over D’Tigers triumph over Senegal
D’Tigers forward Al Amin Farouq says Nigeria’s win over highly rated Senegal in the 2015 Afrobasket Championship in Rades, Tunisia shows the team could stand up to any side as far as the sport was concerned.
In a telephone chat with Daily Trust yesterday before the much anticipated final against most successful team on the continent, Angola, the Portland Timbers star added it’s vital that D’Tigers secure their first African championship as it will go a long way to motivate the team for next year’s Olympics in Brazil.
“It’s a sweet victory especially given what happened when we last faced them and hopefully we could go all the way to bring home the trophy” Farouq said.
In Saturday’s game, Nigeria registered an 88-79 overtime win over Senegal to return to the title game at Afrobasket for the first time since that clash against Angola in 2003.
The win ended Senegal’s five-game winning streak in the tournament.
Nigeria sharpshooter Chamberlain Oguchi made 8 of his 13 three-pointers to lead all scorers with 28 points, while Gorgui Dieng - who played the entire 45 minutes despite being in foul trouble - spearheaded Senegal’s charge with 20 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
It was a balanced game that saw seven lead changes.
Nigeria saw a nine-point second quarter evaporate as Ibrahima Thomas hit a three-pointer in the dying seconds of the period to give the Senegalese a 37-35 half-time lead.
Nigeria entered the final minute of regulation leading 76-73 but Dieng hit a three-pointer to tie the contest at 76-76 and send it to overtime.
Nigeria’s team rotation proved crucial as their bench came up with a pivotal 21-point contribution.
The winner of the final will claim the sole qualifying berth for the 2016 Rio Olympics while teams that finish second, third and fourth will secure places in next year’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.