D’Tigers defeated a tenacious Cameroon in yesterday’s final Group B match of the championship at the Pavilhão Multiusos de Luanda, Angola, demonstrating their resolve to reclaim the AfroBasket title.
Although the D’Tigers haven’t won the title in ten years, their approach to this edition indicates that they are a team that is intent on winning it again. Before their masterclass against Cameroon yesterday, Nigeria defeated the reigning champions, Tunisia, 87-66, and Madagascar 77-59 to start the campaign.
The teams entered the game hoping to win so they could advance to the quarterfinals, but the Nigerians were more accurate and jumped out to a slim 28-27 lead in the first quarter.
The D’Tigers then stepped up their game in the second quarter, winning 32–16 to take a decisive lead. The D’Tigers held off Yves Ouwe-Missi (13 points) and Jeremiah Hill (12 points) until the end of the halftime lead thanks to 12 points each from Caleb Agada and Christian Mekowulu.
The Nigerians maintained their dominant play in the third quarter, winning 26–12 to take a 31–point lead into the fourth quarter.
Cameroon’s late surge was insufficient to reverse the deficit, as the D’Tigers held on for a 101-92 victory despite outscoring Nigeria 37-15 in the fourth quarter.
The D’Tigers will resume play on Wednesday when the final eight matches start, but they are assured two days off to allow Cameroon and other teams to compete for play-off quarterfinal tickets.
