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According to D'Tigers star Michael Eric captain, targets bounce back win against Mali.
Nigeria's senior men's national team, known as the D'Tigers started their journey to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games on Monday, August 14, 2023.
In front of a packed crowd at the Eko Convention Center, the D'Tigers battled hard but suffered a 93-87 loss to their Senegalese rivals.
Michael Eric on D'Tigers officiating problems against Senegal
D'Tigers were outrebounded by the Senegalese team but were also a victim of several questionable calls.
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After the game, Pulse Sports caught up with D'Tigers star Michael Eric to discuss his thoughts on the loss to Senegal.
Asked about the discrepancy in free throws to Seenegal, Eric explained that officiating was not the sole cause of the defeat.
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20:05 - 14.08.2023
D'Tigers: Senegal defeats Nigeria 93-87 in FIBA pre-Olympic qualifier
Nigeria's D'Tigers suffer defeat to Senegal in opening game of FIBA pre-Olympic qualifier
He explained that the D'Tigers were unable to match their runs as Senegal were better prepared for the game.
He said, "It has a lot to do with preparation too, we tried our best to prepare.
"I’m sure they had practice facilities and everything ready for them but we tried our best.
"Basketball is a game of runs, they made their runs we made our runs and at the end of the day.
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"It just happens that we didn’t win the game, we tried, we gave our ultimate effort and next time we will try again."
Michael Eric on bounce-back win against Mali
It was a massive loss for D'Tigers who have just one group game to qualify for the knockout stages.
D'Tigers were supposed to face Senegal, Mali, and Uganda in group play of the pre-Olympic qualifiers.
However, Uganda pulled out which makes the D'Tigers game against Mali a must-win.
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Eric reiterated that the players are still in high spirits and target a bounce-back win against Mali.
He said, "The players have this tenacity of trying to do better so that’s the best part right now.
"They’re not down, they’re just like, ‘you know what, we’re gonna get Mali tomorrow and then focus on the next task."
D'Tigers must win against Mali at the Eko Convention Center on Tuesday, August 15, 2023.
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