D’Tigers Fall 78-62 To Cameroon In World Cup Qualifiers

Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, began the second round of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers on a disappointing note after suffering a 78-62 defeat to Cameroon in Tunisia on Thursday.

According to Ireporter Online, the Nigerian side started strongly at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès, quickly recovering from an early deficit to establish a 6-2 advantage.

Ike Nwamu contributed four points during the early surge, while Josh Okogie added two points from the free-throw line. Nigeria briefly maintained the lead at 11-9 before Cameroon responded decisively.

Christian Koloko’s dunk levelled the game at 11-11 and triggered a major shift in momentum. Cameroon subsequently produced a 13-0 run to close out the opening quarter with a 23-14 advantage.

Nigeria managed to match Cameroon 18-18 in the second quarter but could not reduce the deficit. Cameroon continued to control proceedings in the second half, taking the third quarter 19-16 before sealing the game with an 18-14 advantage in the final period.

Yves Missi was instrumental in Cameroon’s victory, finishing with 24 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. He converted nine of 13 attempts from the field and six of eight free throws, while his powerful dunks further strengthened Cameroon’s control of the contest.

The result leaves D’Tigers facing a tougher path to qualification for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar. Nigeria currently occupy fourth position in Group E with 11 points, while Cameroon and South Sudan sit in the automatic qualification positions.

D’Tigers will have little time to recover as they face South Sudan on Friday. The encounter is crucial to Nigeria’s hopes of remaining in contention for a place at the World Cup.

A strong performance in the remaining qualifying games could also boost Nigeria’s prospects of earning a spot in the FIBA pre-Olympic qualifying tournament.