Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, began their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifiers campaign on a winning note on Thursday, defeating Tunisia 84-81 in a crucial Group C clash in Luanda, Angola.
The victory also marked a successful competitive debut for newly appointed head coach David Fizdale.
D’Tigers made a bright start, edging the opening quarter 23-21 before Tunisia responded by taking the second quarter 23-20 to leave the game evenly poised at halftime.
Nigeria regained the initiative after the break, winning the third quarter 21-19 before holding off a late Tunisian fightback with a 20-18 advantage in the fourth quarter to secure the narrow three-point victory.
The result provides a significant boost to Nigeria’s hopes of securing qualification for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.
D’Tigers will face Guinea on Friday before concluding the qualifying window against Rwanda on Sunday.
Victories in both fixtures would further strengthen Nigeria’s chances of advancing to the next stage of the qualification campaign.
NAN
