By Dorcas Francis Koji
Nigeria’s D’Tigers produced a commanding performance to defeat Cape Verde 100-84 in their final game of the fourth window of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, keeping their qualification hopes firmly alive.
The Nigerian side dominated from start to finish at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Radès, Tunisia, building a lead of as many as 27 points before eventually securing a comfortable 16-point victory.
Caleb Agada led the charge with a sensational shooting display, finishing with 26 points after converting nine of his 12 attempts from the field, including eight three-pointers from 11 attempts.
Nigeria made an explosive start, racing into a 9-0 lead before ending the opening quarter with a 23-9 advantage.
The D’Tigers continued to control proceedings in the second quarter, extending their lead to 52-35 at halftime.
There was no let-up after the break as Nigeria pushed the advantage to 76-54 by the end of the third quarter before comfortably seeing out the contest in the final period.
Agada was Nigeria’s standout performer, adding four rebounds and six assists to his 26 points in less than 24 minutes on the court.
The guard also delivered at a crucial stage of the fourth quarter when Cape Verde attempted to reduce the deficit. Agada scored eight points during a key stretch between 3:44 and 1:38 remaining, hitting two three-pointers and a two-point basket to effectively end the Islanders’ comeback hopes.
Josh Okogie also produced an impressive all-round performance, finishing just two assists short of a triple-double. He recorded 15 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and four steals, while posting a game-high plus-28 rating.
Chimezie Metu provided a strong presence inside, pulling down 12 rebounds while contributing six points, four assists and one steal.
The victory is particularly important for Nigeria after consecutive defeats to Cameroon and South Sudan earlier in the qualification campaign.
The win has revived the D’Tigers’ hopes of securing one of Africa’s tickets to the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup, which will be staged in Qatar.
Nigeria will now turn its attention to the final qualifying window scheduled for February 2027.
At the conclusion of the qualification process, the top two teams from each group, together with the best third-placed team, will earn places at the World Cup.
Five African nations will ultimately qualify for the global tournament in Qatar, leaving Nigeria with everything to play for in the decisive final window.
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