D’Tigers Fall to Cameroon 78-62 in World Cup Qualifiers

D’Tigers suffered a 78-62 defeat to Cameroon in their opening match of the second round of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Radès, Tunisia, on Thursday. Under the guidance of current coach David Fizdale, Nigeria initially took a 6-2 lead after overcoming an early 2-0 deficit, with contributions from Ike Nwamu and Josh Okogie.

However, Cameroon responded with a dunk from Christian Koloko, leveling the score at 11-11 and subsequently launching a 13-0 run to end the first quarter with a 23-14 lead. Nigeria managed to draw the second quarter 18-18 but could not close the gap, while Cameroon outscored them in the third and fourth quarters, winning 19-16 and 18-14, respectively.

Yves Missi was a standout for Cameroon, scoring 24 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and blocking four shots in 26 minutes and 42 seconds. Following this defeat, D’Tigers are currently fourth in Group E with 11 points, making their path to the World Cup more challenging.