Nigeria’s men’s national basketball team suffered an overtime defeat to hosts Tunisia, losing 78–88 in their opening FIBA World Cup African Qualifier clash on Thursday.
The tightly contested encounter in Rades saw both teams battle neck-and-neck across four quarters, finishing 73–73 at regulation time.
Read Also: CAF Champions League: Finidi Assures Mistakes From Cairo Won’t Repeat as Rivers United Target Three Points Against RS Berkane
Nigeria started strongly with a 15–12 first-quarter edge, but Tunisia responded with a dominant second quarter to take control of the game heading into halftime.
The third and fourth quarters remained evenly balanced, with Nigeria pushing hard to stay in contention.
However, Tunisia showed superior composure in overtime, outscoring the D’Tigers 15–5 to seal the 10-point victory.
Scoring Summary:
Q1: Nigeria 15–12 Tunisia
Q2: Nigeria 17–23 Tunisia
Q3: Nigeria 21–18 Tunisia
Q4: Nigeria 20–20 Tunisia
OT: Nigeria 5–15 Tunisia
Final: Nigeria 78–88 Tunisia
Despite the loss, Nigeria had standout individual performances, including a team-high 22 points from T. Zanna, who also added eight rebounds.
Tunisia’s O. Abada led all scorers with 29 points in a decisive display that powered the hosts to victory.
The result places Tunisia in a strong position early in the qualifiers, while Nigeria will look to bounce back in their next two games against Rwanda and Guinea as the journey to the 2027 FIBA World Cup continues.
