Nigeria’s Senior men basketball team, D’Tigers secured a perfect group-stage record as the beat arch rivals Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 99-90 on Sunday in a hard fought Group B final match at the ongoing 2025 FIBA AfroBasket Championship at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Kilamba, Angola.
With the victory, D’Tigers avoided qualification placement as they booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Championship slated for Wednesday, August 20, posting an unbeaten record to top their Group.
For the Cameroonians, the loss placed them as Group’s runners-up and they are heading to the playoff round for a chance to join the quarter-finalists in the last eight.
In their inspired performance, Nigeria had six players scoring in the double digits as Josh Okogie led the D’Tigers’ charge with 16 points.
Caleb Agada scored 15, Stan Okoye finished with 14, Christian Mekowulu and Ike Nwamu each contributed 12, and Martins Igbannu scored 10.
Cameroon were led by Fabien Ateba with 19 points and Yves Missi with 18. Jeremiah Hill left the game with a knee injury after scoring 16 points, and Samir Gbetkom scored 13.
Having fought fiercely in the first quarter with Mekowulu leading Nigeria’s charge with six points, all coming from three-point range, while Cameroon’s Hill had seven points, the second quarter saw D’Tigers upping their intensity.
In the process, they outscored Cameroon 30-16 with Agada netting 10 points, which included a three-pointer early on, while Mekowulu added six more, which also included a three pointer, making 4/5 from the arc.
By the third quarter, the contest had tilted decisively in Nigeria’s favor. With fast breaks, sharp shooting, and relentless pressure, the Josh Okogie inspired D’Tigers stretched the lead to 84–53, establishing a 31-point cushion that effectively ended the game as a contest.
Faced with a herculean task, the Lions fought back valiantly to take the last quarter 37-13 but it was a little too late as D’Tigers cruised into quarter-final unbeaten.
Speaking after the match, D’Tigers’ Stan Okoye, who produced seven assists in the match, said: “We were a little disappointed because we were a little flat in the end.
“We have learned to close out games and let teams come back like that. It was really great to knock down shots, but we could have done better on defence and taken better care with the turnovers.”
So far, the Nigeria team has won all their three Group B matches defeating Madagascar 77-59 in their opening match, followed by an emphatic 87-66 victory over defending champions Tunisia before subduing Cameroon in their last group encounter.
