Nigeria’s D’Tigers have sealed a place in the quarterfinals at the ongoing FIBA Men’s AfroBasket with a thrilling 99-90 victory over Cameroon in their final Group D match up at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Kilamba in Luanda, Angola.

The win saw Nigeria top the group with a perfect 3-0 record after dispatching Madagascar and reigning champions, Tunisia in previous matches.

Yesterday, both Nigeria and Cameroon entered the high-stakes clash aware that victory would guarantee an automatic berth in the quarterfinals while the loser would have to navigate the more uncertain qualification route.

The first quarter was a neck-and-neck affair, with D’Tigers narrowly edging it 28-25. Nigeria then found their rhythm in the second quarter, storming to a 30-16 run that gave them a comfortable cushion at halftime.

In their inspired performance, Nigeria had six players score in the double digits. Josh Okogie led the D’Tigers with 16 points. Caleb Agada scored 15, Stan Okoye finished with 14, Christian Mekowulu and Ike Nwamu each contributed 12, and Martins Igbannu scored 10.

Yet Nigeria’s stand-out performers were Okogie and Okoye with a combined 30 points. Okoye, who came off the bench, put in a great shift for the Tigers, especially from three-point range, where he was 4-for-4, and he also grabbed seven boards.

Cameroon struggled to find an answer to Nigeria’s three-point prowess, and they ultimately paid the price with their nine-point loss.

Nigeria’s 15 three-pointers were the most by any team in the tournament so far.

Trailing by as many as 34 points required a Herculean effort from Cameroon, which they displayed in the fourth quarter. However, their fight-back spirit came a little too late.

This was the fourth matchup between the two teams at the AfroBasket tournament. The D’Tigers had knocked out the Indomitable Lions in the quarterfinals of the 2017 tournament, and the stakes were just as high in this final group matchup.

Head Coach Abdulrahman Muhammed praised the performance of the team, adding the technical crew would work on the players’ late collapse in the fourth quarter.

“This was a statement performance from the team,” he said. “We knew Cameroon would come hard at us, but our boys stuck to the game plan. That second and third quarter showed exactly what we’re capable of when we’re locked in. It’s a big boost heading into the quarterfinals.”

D’Tigers’ hero Okoye equally echoed the sentiments of Coach Muhammed over their poor returns towards the end of the gripping encounter.

“We were a little disappointed because we were a little flat in the end. We have learn to close out games and let teams come back like that. It was really great to knock down shots, but we could have done better on defence and taken better care with the turnovers,” Okoye stated.

Nigeria’s Group Stage Results:

Madagascar 59–77 Nigeria

Nigeria 87–66 Tunisia

Nigeria 99–90 Cameroon (THE NATION)