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D’Tigers dropped their second straight game in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers on Friday, falling 82-79 to South Sudan in a tightly contested battle at Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès.
Nigeria had one last chance to force overtime, but back-to-back missed three-pointers from Chimezie Metu and Josh Okogie sealed the loss on the final possession.
The defeat drops Nigeria further off the pace in Group E, while South Sudan’s Bright Stars moved to the top of the standings with a 6-2 record — their second win of this qualifying window. South Sudan close out the window against Tunisia on Sunday.
Nigeria dug themselves a hole early, conceding 30 points in the opening quarter as South Sudan’s offense caught fire. A halftime deficit forced coach David Fizdale to make halftime adjustments, shifting to a zone defense that briefly shut down South Sudan’s attack — holding them scoreless from the field for a four-minute stretch — and sparking a 27-point offensive quarter of their own to level the contest.
But the response was not enough. South Sudan’s Marial Shayok caught fire from three, finishing with a game-high 19 points to power the Bright Stars down the stretch.
Nigeria leaned on its interior scoring through Metu, who had 17 points, and Ebuka Izundu, but couldn’t find enough offense to close the gap in the final minutes.
South Sudan coach Royal Ivey credited his team’s resilience after conceding the momentum swing.
“I’m proud of my guys; we were down 3 at halftime (which is) a little adversity, but kudos to my guys for their competitive nature; they never quit,” Ivey said. “They kept the focus and got the job done, but we are not satisfied with this win. We play again in two days, so they have to stay focused.”
The loss leaves Nigeria needing a response to stay in contention for a spot at the 2027 World Cup, with their next qualifying window now taking on added urgency against Cape Verde on Sunday.
