Nigeria men’s basketball senior team, D’Tigers, stunned an in-form Cote d’Ivoire side with an impressive win in the ongoing 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Luanda, Angola.
The D’Tigers, which was filled with mostly home-based players, overcame the Elephants 72-63 in breathtaking fashion to break the latter’s run of seven consecutive wins.
Ivory Coast entered today undefeated (7-0)
The streak is broken. NIGERA WINS! pic.twitter.com/aGbZhKJrqK
— D’Tigers | Nigeria Basketball (@NigeriaBasket) February 24, 2023
Following recent controversies around the Nigerian team, foreign-based players were left out of the 12-man squad that headed to the Central African nation of Angola, with former Nigerian star and Rivers Hoopers coach Ogoh Odaudu taking the reins as head coach.
Although they lost to the Ivory Coast last year, the Nigerian team seemed unperturbed as they started stronger than their opponent, despite playing together for the first time.
The D’Tigers rushed to a narrow 16-15 lead after the first quarter, but the more experienced Ivorians steadied themselves with a 19-14 second-quarter score to end the first half with a 34-30 lead.
However, good perimeter defense and transition attacking helped the Nigerians to an early ten-point lead at the beginning of the third quarter. They eventually won the quarter 23-14 and led 53-48 by the end of the quarter.
As the fourth quarter began, the D’Tigers continued their impressive defense, chasing the Elephants off the three-point line and making every bucket tough to get for them, thereby rounding off their outstanding performance with an added four-point lead in the quarter.
Kwara Falcons star Victor Ezeh led the D’Tigers in scoring with 18 points, while Nigeria Customs’ Israel Oyoro Otobo also contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Coach Odauda’s team outscored their West African opponents in every statistical category, scoring 42.9% of their total shot attempts, including 27.8% from beyond the arc and 72.2% of their free throws. Ivory Coast, on the other hand, only managed 33.8% and 20.5% from the field and 3-point arc, respectively, with only 55% of their free throws made.
The D’Tigers, who are currently fourth in the standings with 12 points and four wins from eight games, will hope to consolidate on their impressive display with an even better one when they face the National Elephants of Guinea at 2pm on Saturday, February 25.
First 2023 victory for 🇳🇬 Nigeria as they beat 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire to stay in the qualifying run!
Check out the live stats here ➡https://t.co/T0C3CEsFMX#FIBAWC x #WinForNigeria pic.twitter.com/EWINU7LFGm
— FIBA Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) February 24, 2023
They need to win all their remaining games in the qualifying rounds to stand a chance of securing a spot at this year’s tournament, scheduled for August 25 to September 10 in Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines.
