NIGERIA’S D’Tigers have gone 2-0 in Group B of the 2025 Men’s AfroBasket after easing past reigning champions Tunisia 87-66 today at the Pavilhao Multusos de Luanda, Angola.
NBA star Josh Okogie was the standout player for D’Tigers and the best overall, with his impressive 33-point display taking Nigeria towards the quarter-finals.
Okogie scored from 12 of 19 attempts, and he was 6/6 from the free-throw line.
Tunisia’s Omar Abada and Yacine Toumi scored 13 points each, but it was in vain as the Carthage Eagles fell to a second straight defeat in the group.
D’Tigers were dominant from the start, racing to a 10-0 lead with threes from Caleb Agada and Ike Nwamu. Talib Zanna and Kaodirichi Akonbundu got buckets in the paint, which forced coach Mehdi Mary to call a time-out three-and-a-half minutes into the game.
D’Tigers, champions in 2015, played with confidence, and Okogie exhibited that with his 10 points, which came from 4 of 5 attempts, and his team went into the quarter with a 29-16 lead.
In the second quarter, Okogie caught fire, leading Nigeria in scoring with nine points, which included a pair of free throws and a three-pointer from a metre from the arc for the 38-19 lead.
Tunisia could not match Nigeria’s energy, as their attempts to close the gap were met by a stifling D’Tigers defence.
With two minutes to play in the quarter, Agada made his shots count at the free throw line for the 48-27 lead, but Tunisia would hit the 30-point mark with a Bilel Jeziri three-pointer, and a Jawadi drive to the bucket saw him get tripped by, and as he fell, his circus shot landed.
D’Tigers had all the answers in the third quarter, building a 20-point (63-43) lead, with four minutes left. Okogie added 12 to his tally with incisive drives to the hoop, a three-pointer and a couple of free throws. Nigeria remained on top with a 68-47 lead.
NBA player Okogie was the sharp point of Nigeria’s offence, setting the tone for what would be a monumental victory. He netted an efficiency of 32 in the game, and as D’Tigers try to go deeper in the tournament, this level of consistency from Okogie will be key for them.
Nigeria outplayed Tunisia in almost every stat line. They were able to turn good defence into buckets, scoring 17 points from turnovers and 16 fast-break points.
D’Tigers dominated in second-chance points (9-4), and the bench delivered 25 points.
With agency report