SAN FRANCISCO, November 30, (THEWILL) – In the last game of Group D on Sunday, Nigeria’s men basketball team, D’Tigers, maintained their perfect streak at the 2020 FIBA Afrobasket qualifiers with an emphatic 91-68 win over Mali in Kigali.
As reported by THEWILL, coach Mike Brown’s charges had recorded impressive wins over other Group D rivals. They triumphed over South Sudan with a 20-point margin (76-56) and went one better against hosts Rwanda (83-62).
The Malians were charged to avoid a similar outcome and appeared to have started well towards that objective when they dominated the first quarter with a 16-13 win.
Their determination was commendable but their lead was short-lived. D’Tigers regained the advantage and took the second quarter 26-15, squeezed through a two-point third quarter win of 22-20 but gave the Malians a final-quarter drilling
with a 30-17. That added up to a 91-68 win overall.
Team captain and guard Ike Iroegbu continued his impressive gameplay, notching 17 points and six assists in the tie.
Point guard for D’Tigers Ben Uzoh said of the team’s impressive games, “It means a lot leaving Kigali with three wins from three matches and it set the tone as we had a goal before the competition.”
On his part, head coach Brown was pleased with the teamwork.
“They are all winners and they understand that in international play the point matters. We want to get used to playing the full 40 minutes. I thought the guys stepped up their performance as the match progressed.”
Though Nigeria topped Group D, the American coach believes the team would continue to improve as the tournament now shifts to the next set of group matches slated for February, 2021.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
