Nigeria’s men’s basketball senior national team, D’Tigers will again bank on the enterprsing form of Caleb Agada and Uche Iroegbu for heroics during their last match at the ongoing FIBA World Cup qualification tournnament in Luanda, Angola.
Sports247 reports that Agada and Iroegbu were both in stunning form on Friday, with the duo’s personal sterling eforts helping D’Tigers to a very tight come-from-behind 80-79 victory over their group leaders, Guinea.
The result took the Nigerian team, now handled by American tactician, David Fizdale, a step closer to a qualification ticket for next year’s Basketball World Cup in Qatar, as they qualified for phase two in the African qualifiers.
It also means a revival of fortune for D’Tigers, who entred this competition with a deficit scorecard of 1-2 from their first three matches during the qualification’s first stage, but they have received a boost since the arrival of Fizdale, a two-time NBA champion and former Miami Heat assistant coach.
Nigeria’s target of being at the FIBA World Cup now looks brighter, as the top three teams from each of the four first-round groups will advance to the second round, which will be played in August 2026 and February 2027.
The 12 qualifying teams will then be split into two groups of six each, from which the top two sides in both segments and the best third-placed squaad will secure spots at the Senior Men’s Basketball World Cup in Qatar.
D’Tigers will hope to sail into the next stage with a 100% margin, as Fizdale’s squad rested on Saturday, ahead of their return to the well-polished court of the highly impossing Pavilhão Multiusos de Luanda on Sunday.
As they prepare to settle scores with Rwanda on Sunday, expectations are already soaring high around Agada and Iroegbu, who are both expected to shine once again, after their exploits in the victory over Guinea, while Chimezie Metu delivered the game-winning play with just three seconds remaining.
Agada led all scorers with a game-high 22 points, spearheading the Nigerian offence throughout the pulsating game, while Iroegbu added 14 points, as Fizdale’s team muscled an early lead with aggressive defence and sharp shooting.
They led 23-17 after the first quarter and took a 46-40 advantage into half time, but Guinea staged a huge comeback in the third period, outscoring the Nigerians 28-16 to seize a six-point lead heading into the final stanza, but the fourth quarter belonged to D’Tigers.
Fizdale’s team rallied back to outscore Guinea 18-11 in the decisive period to seal their much desired victory and, with qualification to the next phase now sealed, D’Tigers will look to finish the window strongly on Sunday, as they aim to make it three wins on the trot, en route to the global showpiece.
