SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Johnannes Voigtmann scored 19 points, and Germany used a 14-0 run in the final minutes to pull away and beat Nigeria 99-92 on Wednesday at the Tokyo Olympics.
Moritz Wagner scored 17 points, while Danilo Barthel scored 14, Maodo Lo had 13 and Andreas Obst finished with 12 for Germany (1-1).
Barthel was subbed in after Wagner got his fourth foul late in the third quarter — and made a big impact. He was 4 for 4 from the field in the final period, including the basket that started the 14-0 run that broke an 81-81 tie and put the Germans on top for good.
Jordan Nwora scored 33 points for Nigeria (0-2), while Miye Oni scored 15. Nigeria made 17 3-pointers, but was outscored 19-7 from the foul line.
Each team let double-digit leads slide.
Germany started the game on a 22-12 run; Nigeria responded with a 15-2 burst to take a 27-24 lead early in the second quarter. And then it was Nigeria’s turn to grab and cede control; a 16-5 run to open the second half put the D’Tigers up 11, but Niels Giffey’s 3-pointer rattled in as the third-quarter horn sounded and sent the teams in the final period tied at 74.
The lead changed hands five times in the opening minutes of the final quarter, before Germany put together the decisive run and wound up taking a big step toward qualifying for next week’s knockout stage.
Both teams will finish their round-robin Group B schedules on Saturday. Nigeria faces Italy, and Germany takes on Australia.
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