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Nigeria’s D’Tigers ended Guinea’s unbeaten run with a dramatic 80-79 victory on Friday to boost their 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers campaign and secure qualification for the second round.
Fresh from their impressive win over Tunisia, the rejuvenated Nigerian side produced another spirited display to hand Guinea their first defeat of the qualifiers, improving their record to 3-2 while Guinea slipped to 4-1.
Nigeria started the game with great intensity, dominating the opening half through aggressive defence and fast-break scoring. D’Tigers forced four turnovers in the opening three minutes, converting them into seven quick points as they built an early advantage.
The former African champions controlled much of the first half and went into the break with a deserved 46-40 lead after consistently frustrating the previously unbeaten Guineans.
Guinea, however, responded strongly after halftime, showing why they entered the contest with a perfect record.
Led by former NBA forward Sekou Doumbouya, the West Africans tightened their defence and mounted an impressive comeback.
Doumbouya put Guinea ahead for the first time at 49-48, while Shannon Evans drained a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the third quarter to hand Guinea a 68-62 advantage heading into the final period.
Despite the setback, Nigeria refused to surrender. In a tense finish, Uche Iroegbu penetrated the paint before finding Chimezie Moneke, who converted the game-winning basket with only seconds remaining. Guinea’s final possession failed to produce a response as D’Tigers celebrated a memorable one-point victory.
Assistant coach David Vanterpool praised his players for their resilience.
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“They were able to fight together, fight in frustration. They were able to withstand a good Guinea team coming back to take an eleven-point lead and still get off the floor with the win. I give a lot of credit to our guys. They showed so much heart, resilience, determination and togetherness,” Vanterpool said.
Caleb Agada delivered another outstanding all-round performance, finishing with a game-high 22 points, three rebounds and four steals. Kaodirichi Akobundu added 14 points, while Uche Iroegbu chipped in with 10.
Doumbouya led Guinea with 23 points, while Shannon Evans and Souleymane Jr. contributed 18 points each in the losing effort.
Vanterpool said Nigeria remain focused on completing their mission in Luanda.
“Our goal was to come here and win three games. The job is not done. We still have a lot of work to do. We are going back to the drawing board to continue preparing this team.”
Agada revealed that a players-only meeting after Thursday’s victory over Tunisia helped inspire the team’s performance.
“After the game yesterday against Tunisia, we had a players-only meeting and one of the emphasis was to come out with energy and play with pride,” he said.
Nigeria will now look to finish the qualifying window strongly as they continue their quest to return to the FIBA Basketball World Cup and make their first appearance on the global stage since the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.
