Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, showed their strength on Sunday. They defeated Rwanda 106-62, finishing the qualifying round perfectly. This win also secures their spot in the next round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers.
With this big win, Nigeria completed the three-game window with a perfect record. Earlier, they beat Tunisia and Guinea. This success highlights the team’s comeback under head coach David Fizdale.
Point guard Uche (U.C.) Iroegbu led the Nigerian offense with a great performance. He ended the game with 17 points and seven assists. Caleb Agada, Ikechukwu Mekowulu, and Stan Okoye each added 13 points. D’Tigers showed their strength in both attack and defense.
Nigeria took charge right from the start. They controlled the game and kept the pressure on Rwanda, making it one of their best performances in years.
This victory is a big boost for a team that needed to improve its World Cup chances. D’Tigers kicked off the qualifying campaign with a tough 84-81 win over Tunisia. In that match, Chimezie Metu and Ike Iroegbu scored 17 points each. Wes Iwundu added 14 points while Uche Iroegbu scored 13 points in a very close game.
Next, they pulled off a thrilling 80-79 comeback win against Guinea. Caleb Agada led with 22 points, Uche Iroegbu added 14 points, and Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu contributed 10 points as Nigeria came back from a late deficit to win again.
The win against Rwanda completed a clean sweep. The team showed resilience, great teamwork, and consistent play throughout all three matches.
David Fizdale’s team played well together, with experienced players mixing with rising stars on both offense and defense. Their three wins boost Nigeria’s chances to qualify for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Now that they have finished the first phase strongly, D’Tigers will focus on the second round of the African qualifiers. They will face tougher teams as they aim for a spot in the World Cup.
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