BY Idris Shehu
Nigeria’s D’Tigers lost 72-62 to Uganda in their second game of the qualification tournament for the 2025 FIBA Afrobasket.
D’Tigers were the second-best team throughout the match at the Mohamed-Mzali Sports Hall, Monastir, Tunisia, on Saturday.
Nigeria failed to bounce back from their overtime loss to Libya in their opening game on Friday.
The encounter was the Nigerian team’s second game just 24 hours after arriving at the tournament venue, and the fatigue was palpable.
Like Nigeria’s game against Libya, only nine players from the 12 names on the team’s roster were available for the match against Uganda.
The Ugandans leveraged their advantage optimally. They led D’Tigers 12-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The lead was extended to 29-19 by halftime as Nigeria struggled to catch up.
D’Tigers put up a decent fight in their quarter, but it did little to shave the gap. Ugandans then wrapped up a 10-point victory in the final quarter.
Devine Eke led D’Tigers with 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists. He was followed by Mike Nuga, who could only manage 15 points.
D’Tigers will wrap up the first window of the qualifiers against Cape Verde on Sunday.
Nigeria’s preparation for the tournament was plagued with controversies as D’Tigers announced its withdrawal from the qualifiers on Wednesday.
The team cited “lack of funds from the government” as the hindrance, but John Enoh, minister of sports, intervened, and arrangements were made to ensure Nigeria’s participation.
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