D’Tigers qualify for second round of FIBA World Cup qualifiers

D’Tigers booked their place in the second round of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers after a dominant 95-69 win over Uganda saw the D’Tigers finish the first round of the qualifiers with two wins and a defeat.

After an underwhelming showing at the FIBA Afrobasket earlier this year, newly appointed Head Coach Julius Nwosu invited captains Ike Diogu and Ben Emelogu back into the side ahead of the three-game series in Angola.

D’Tigers went into the first game against Cape Verde with only nine of the 12 invited players available following various issues faced by Ben Emelogu, Jordan Ogundiran and Owen Oriakhi, who had to travel to Angola without Federation support.

D’Tigers lost their opener against Cape Verde 79-71, putting then at an immediate disadvantage in the group. The Nigerian side recovered quickly to defeat rivals Mali in a dramatic second game 72-70, with Ogundiran hitting a clutch three at the buzzer and drawing a foul to see Nigeria win by two points. Ogundiran finished with 19 points alongside Ike Diogu, and Ben Uzoh finished with 11 points for the D’Tigers.

In the final game, D’Tigers thrashed Uganda 95-69 to book their place in the second round of qualifying with a 2-1 record. 38-year-old captain Ike Diogu delivered an amazing performance with 27 points from six of seven shooting and ten rebounds. D’Tigers finished the first half 53-37 up  and finished the job in the second half to knock Uganda out of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.