CARACAS (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - An unlikely cameo from Ade Dagunduro has delivered Nigeria one of the most memorable victories in international basketball history and put one Nigerian foot into the London Olympics.

After scoring just 19 points in the tournament to that point, the 1.95m guard nailed his country's last seven points to secure a thrilling 80-79 Quarter-Final win over Greece.

First Dagunduro hit a mid-range jumper with 70 seconds remaining from an Ike Diogu offensive rebound, and then a pull-up three-pointer with the shot clock winding down to reclaim a two-point lead with 30 seconds to play.

After Konstas Papanikolaou nailed a triple of his own with 14 seconds left, Dagunduro then drove to the basket and drew a foul on Nikos Zisis.

To the delight of the deafening Nigerian fans he slotted both free throws and then blocked Vasileios Spanoulis' game-winning three-point attempt to spark wild mid-court celebrations.

While Dagunduro's 14 points were the icing on the cake, Diogu (17 points, 12 rebounds) was the rock of Gibraltar. Al Farouq (13 points, 5 rebounds) was also important, making repeated big plays throughout the game.

For Greece, Spanoulis (25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) was the star but only Ioannis Bourousis (18 points, 5 rebounds) and Georgios Printezis (10 points) made it to double figures in support.

Greece looked on their way to the Semi-Finals when they led by 13 midway through the third term, but Nigeria's 18-9 rebounding advantage in the second half turned the game.

Trailing 47-34, the Africans were sparked by guards Derrick Obasohan and Tony Skinn, who had both gone scoreless in the first half.

A 12-2 run closed the gap to three, and while Greece responded late in the third term an 8-2 Nigeria run to start the fourth turned the game into a possession-by-possession slog for the final eight minutes.

Skinn, Diogu, Spanoulis and Al Farouq all hit jumpers as the lead see-sawed before Dagunduro's unforgettable individual effort.

Nigeria now faces Russia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Semi-Finals.

FIBA