Nigeria’s D’Tigers continued their fine form at the 2025 FIBA Men’s Afrobasket in Luanda, Angola, sealing top spot in Group B with a thrilling 99-90 victory over Cameroon to book a direct ticket to the quarterfinals.
The Cameroonian Lions, unbeaten in their first two games, came into the clash with high hopes of reaching the knockout stage, but Nigeria proved too strong, stretching their unbeaten run to 3-0.
The opening quarter was tightly contested as D’Tigers edged it 28-25, with Christian Mekwolu hitting two three-pointers for six points, while Cameroon’s Jeremiah Hill registered seven.
In the second quarter, Nigeria stamped their authority. Caleb Agada, who plies his trade at Al Ahli Tripoli in Libya, scored 10 points, while Mekwolu added another six as the D’Tigers stormed to a commanding 32-16 win in the quarter, opening up a double-digit lead.
The third quarter saw a dominant display from NBA star Josh Okogie of Houston Rockets and Stan Okoye of MoraBanc Andorra, who combined for 30 points. Nigeria outscored Cameroon 26-12 in that period, stretching the lead to as much as 34 points.
However, the Lions roared back in the final quarter, outscoring D’Tigers 37-15 in a spirited comeback. Despite the scare, Nigeria’s earlier dominance secured the 99-90 win, with their 15 three-pointers standing as the tournament’s highest tally so far.
Josh Okogie, who finished with 16 points, two rebounds and a staggering 24 assists, was named Player of the Game. Agada followed closely with 15 points, while Stan Okoye had 14. Mekwolu and Ike Nwamu contributed 12 each, and Martins Igbannu added 10 points.
For Cameroon, Fabien Ateba scored 19 points, Yves Missi added 18, while Jeremiah Hill contributed 16 before leaving with a knee injury. Samir Gbetkom scored 13.
Speaking after the game, Stan Okoye expressed mixed feelings about the performance:
“We were a little disappointed because we were flat in the end. We have to learn to close out games and not let teams come back like that. It was great to knock down shots, but we should have been better defensively and taken care of the ball.”
D’Tigers’ victory means they advance directly to the quarterfinals as Group B winners, while Cameroon will now fight for a playoff spot.
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