Sports
AfroBasket: D’Tigers Miss Out on Tinubu’s Golden Package After Quarterfinal Loss
Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, have been eliminated from the ongoing 2025 FIBA AfroBasket Championship after suffering a 91-75 defeat to Senegal in their quarter-final clash at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda in Angola on Wednesday.
Both nations were meeting for the ninth time in history, with Nigeria having won five of their previous eight encounters.
The 2015 AfroBasket champions came into the game with strong momentum, having topped Group B with three straight wins over Madagascar, Tunisia, and Cameroon. Senegal, on the other hand, advanced to the quarter-finals after edging South Sudan in a playoff.
Head coach Mohammed Abdulrahman’s side started brightly, edging the first quarter 24-23, but struggled in the second quarter as Jean-Jacques Boissy inspired Senegal to a 30-18 run, giving them an 11-point halftime lead.
The Senegalese extended their dominance in the third quarter, winning 23-13, before D’Tigers attempted a late comeback in the fourth, which they narrowly won 20-15, but it was not enough to overturn the deficit.
Statistically, Nigeria made 73 field goal attempts with a 35.6% field goal accuracy, 35 rebounds, 14 assists, eight steals, and three blocks. Senegal, however, outclassed them with 70 field goal attempts at 47.1% accuracy, 53 rebounds, 14 assists, five steals, and 16 turnovers.
Despite the loss, co-captain Ike Nwamu led Nigeria’s scoring with 15 points, while Stan Okoye, Caleb Agada, and Martins Igbanu added 14, 12, and 12 points respectively. For Senegal, Brancou Badio stood out with a game-high 32 points, supported by Boissy with 19 points and Moustapha Pape-Diop with 14.
The quarter-final exit ends Nigeria’s AfroBasket 2025 campaign. Their focus now shifts to the FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifiers starting in November, as they aim to secure a spot at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar, having missed out on the 2023 edition.
