Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Okogie scored 33 points as the D’Tigers of Nigeria defeated defending champions Tunisia 87-66 in their second group game of the 2025 AfroBasket Championship.
After defeating Madagascar in their first game of the Afrobasket, Nigeria returned to action with a game against Tunisia, a repeat of the 2017 final, which the North Africans won.
The D’Tigers looked lively from the start, as they moved the ball well. Tunisia, on the other hand, were coming off a disappointing loss to Cameroon in their first game and struggled to score early in the game.
They only managed their first point after Nigeria had put up ten points.
Hornets star Okogie looked quite sharp and was basically strolling to the basket, as Tunisia could not hold him down. By the end of the first quarter, Nigeria had already established a 13-point lead.
The second quarter scoring was slow, but eventually picked up. Still, Tunisia struggled with their defence and were turning over the ball.
In the third quarter, the D’Tigers of Nigeria continued to dominate, scoring from outside the arc three times. Tunisia, however, could not convert from the three-point line, and that was their undoing.
Okogie was the star of the show, as he led all scorers with 33 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
By the end of the third quarter, coach Abdulrahman Mohamed’s men had already established a 21-point lead. The defending champions could not muster a comeback in the final quarter, as it ended 87-66.
Caleb Agada was the only Nigerian in double digits, scoring ten points, while Emmanuel Omogbo contributed eight points. Ike Nwamu, Ugo Simon, and Stanley Okoye each scored six points.
With this win, the D’Tigers move to the top of Group B in the Afrobasket, awaiting the outcome of the Cameroon vs Madagascar match.
Congrats to D’Tigers of Nigeria ❤️