Nigeria’s men’s senior basketball team, the D’Tigers, restored their hope of booking a place in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup with a dominant 100-84 win over Cape Verde on Sunday evening.
Nigeria, who arrived at the campaign 4-2, went into the game against Cape Verde with a 4-4 record but have now gone 5-4 following the victory, while keeping them in touch with securing their places amongst elite basketball teams at the Mundial in a couple of months.
The team’s victory came on the backdrop of top performers like Caleb Agada’s 26 points and 6 assists, with Josh Okogie two points short of a triple-double after posting 15 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists, sauced with 4 steals.
Efe Obogidi also added his quota with 11 points; team captain Ike Nwamu, meanwhile, led the revival with 14 points.
Reacting after the game, the coach of the side, David Fizdale, recounted what the team had as a target going into the game: to bring back their ambition on track.
“We needed that win to stay in the fight and give ourselves a chance. I told the guys if we get to five wins, we are within striking distance of qualifying in the next window.”
“I was really happy; finally, we made 3s because we just couldn’t make shots the first two games,” Fizdale added.