FIBA AfroBasketball: Nigeria Spanks Defending Champions, Tunisia 87-66 points
Nigeria’s D’Tigers on Friday in Luanda, Angola at the 19th Afro basketball Male Tournament walloped Afro Basketball defending champions, Tunisia by total 87-66 points in group B making a handsome difference of 21 points advantage to Nigeria.
Nigeria took the 1st quarter 29-16; slightly won the 2nd quarter 19-17; pocketed the 3rd quarter 20-14 and resisted the attempt by Tunisia to make a rise sharing the 4th quarter 19-19.
Nigeria dominated play with 20-14 fast breaks; chalking 33-23 points from the bench; made 22-12 points at turnover; also dunked 9-4 points on 2nd chance. Nigeria’s rebound scores were beautiful 42-37; had 14-10 ast and 5-2 blocks but conceded points on the paint 32-36 to Tunisia.
Nigeria is leading the table with 164 points for 125 points against and a difference of 39 points; Tunisia has 135 points for conceding 113 with a deficit of -42. Cameroon with one match has 86 points for conceding 65 with a +21 difference while Madagascar made 59 points so far from the only one match played conceding 77 points which lands them with -18 points
On 13th August 2025 in the same Group B opener Nigeria had beaten Madagascar 77—59 while defending champions, Tunisia lost to Cameroon 65-86.
Giant killers Cameroon is about now slugging it out with Madagascar in the 2nd match of the group.
Tunisia and Nigeria played four times with two wins each from 2007. On 24th August 2007 Nigeria won 83-82 at FIBA meet; on 29th July 2012 Nigeria won 60-56 at OGB game; on 23rd August 2015 Tunisia outstandingly out dunk Nigeria 70-59 while on 16th September 2017 also at FIBA Tunisia won 77-65.
D’Tigers of Nigeria coached by Mohammed Abdulrahman is ranked 42 in the world. Nigeria made 19 appearances at Afro basketball final tournament winning it once in 2015. She got Silver medal 4 times in 1997, 1999, 2003 and 2017 while bagging the Bronze 3 times in 1995, 2005 and 2011.
She appeared at the African Games 8 times winning Gold in 2011 and 5 times Bronze winners in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015. She was 4th at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. She went to the Olympic Games 3 times coming without a medal and FIBA world cup 3 times without a medal.
Nigeria is the only African team to have beaten the mighty USA team to qualify for the Summer Olympics in 2012 where she beat elite teams like Lithuania and Greece.
The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia ranked 36th in the world and coached by 45 year old 6ft 7ins French, Mehdy Mary was at FIBA Afro games 24 times winning the title 3 times in 2011, 2017 and 2021. She won Silver once in 1965 and Bronze 4 times in 1970, 1974, 2009 and 2015. She was at the African Games where she won the Gold in 1973 and Bronze in 1978.
Tunisia’s performances nosedived along the line though she was the 3rd African representative at the FIBA world cup where she finished last in group B and placed 24th in the tournament. After 40 years lull in Africa the Tunisians have become one of the continent’s prime team.
On Sunday 17th August Group B games will be closed as Nigeria meets giant killers Cameroon at 5:30pm after Tunisia would have met Madagascar at 2:30pm.
