D’Tigers wrapped up Window 1 of the second round of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers with a hard-fought 100–84 victory over Cape Verde at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Tunisia.
Following consecutive defeats to Cameroon and South Sudan, D’Tigers knew victory was essential to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive. Cape Verde were also searching for their first win of the window after losing to Guinea and Tunisia.
Nigeria began brightly, producing an impressive performance to outscore Cape Verde 23–9 in the opening quarter. The second quarter was more competitive, but D’Tigers still edged it 29–26 to take a commanding 52–35 lead into halftime.
D’Tigers remained in control during the third quarter, outscoring their opponents 24–19. Cape Verde mounted a late response and won the fourth quarter 30–24, but it was not enough to overturn Nigeria’s advantage or force overtime. The defeat condemned Cape Verde to a third consecutive loss in the window.
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Caleb Agada led Nigeria’s scoring with 26 points, six assists and four rebounds. It was also a memorable outing for Utah Jazz shooting guard Josh Okogie, who narrowly missed out on a triple-double after recording 15 points, a game-high 10 assists, eight rebounds and a game-high four steals.
Guard Ike Nwamu contributed 14 points, five assists and two steals, while Efe Abogidi added 11 points and four rebounds. Chimezie Metu dominated the boards with a game-high 12 rebounds, alongside six points and four assists.
Despite the defeat, several Cape Verde players delivered impressive individual performances. Forward Ivan Almeida finished with a game-high 34 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, while shooting guards Anderson Correia and Anim Delgado contributed 19 and 12 points respectively.
The next qualifying window will take place in February, when D’Tigers will face the same three opponents for a second time as they look to strengthen their bid for a place at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
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