By JOE APU
Nigeria’s D’Tigers delivered a dominant performance on Friday, dismantling defending champions Tunisia 87-66 to maintain a perfect record in Group B of the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket at the Pavilhão Multiusos de Luanda.
NBA guard Josh Okogie produced a masterclass, scoring 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting and converting all six of his free throws to power Nigeria to their second straight win and all but seal a place in the quarter-finals.
Tunisia’s Omar Abada and Yacine Toumi finished with 13 points apiece, but the Carthage Eagles struggled throughout, slumping to 0-2 in the group stage.
Nigeria came out firing, racing to a 10-0 lead with three-pointers from Caleb Agada and Ike Nwamu, while Talib Zanna and Kaodirichi Akonbundu added points in the paint. Tunisia were forced into an early time-out just three-and-a-half minutes into the contest.
Okogie’s early offensive burst—10 points on 4-of-5 shooting—helped Nigeria end the first quarter 29-16 ahead. The momentum carried into the second quarter, with Okogie drilling a deep three-pointer and sinking free throws to push the lead to 38-19. Tunisia’s late rally, capped by a Bilel Jeziri triple and Jawhar Jawadi’s three-point play, reduced the halftime deficit to 48-33.
The D’Tigers tightened their grip in the third quarter, extending the lead to 63-43 before closing the period up 68-47. Okogie added 12 more points in the quarter through drives, perimeter shooting and free throws.
Nigeria outperformed Tunisia across the board—scoring 17 points from turnovers, 16 fast-break points, and outscoring their opponents 9-4 in second-chance opportunities. The bench also chipped in with 25 points.
With two straight wins, Nigeria sit firmly in control of Group B, executing head coach Abdulrahman Mohamed’s game plan with precision.
“We feel good about the win. The job is not done, but I feel we can win this whole thing,” said forward Devine Eke. “We executed well, followed our coach’s game plan, and everyone played their role. If we keep doing that, anything is possible.”
