Nigeria’s D’Tigers lost to Cape Verde 79-70 in, Group A first round of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification in Rwanda on Friday.
It is the continuation of the first round qualifiers which started in November 2021.
This is Cape Verde’s second win against D’Tigers in the qualifying series.
In their first meeting in 2021 in Angola, Cape Verde triumphed over D’Tigers 79-71.
And in Friday’s clash, after winning the first quarter 15-14 points, Cape Verde took charge in the second quarter, 25-11 to head into halftime with a 39-26pts lead.
D’Tigers’ performance in the second quarter haunted the team despite a spirited effort in the second half, 21-17, 17-17pts
Ikenna Ndugba and Christian Mekowulu led the scoring for D’Tigers and Uchenna Iroegbu contributed 12 points. Mekowulu picked 13 rebounds while Benjamin Emelogu had 4.
Also Read: FIFA Announces New Offside Technology Ahead 2022 World Cup
Chimezie Metu posted a double-double performance with 10 points and 10 rebounds which unfortunately was not enough to secure the win for D’Tigers.
After four rounds of games, Cape Verde top Group A on six points while D’Tigers also on six points are second.
In third position is Uganda also on six points and Mali are fourth on five points.
Meanwhile, D’Tigers’ game against Mali on Saturday hangs in the balance after the West Africans failed to show up for their game with Uganda.
As a result of Mali’s failure to make an appearance, Uganda were awarded a 20-0 win.
The qualifiers will determine the five African teams that will participate at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia from 25 August to 10 September.
5 Comments
This poor performance is not unconnected to the dismal handling of basketball in the country. back-to-back defeat does not portend well for the image of the sport and i strongly believe that the Sports minister should forthwith resign.
Bhuari and his Basketball reform artists, our girls were intentionally jinxed for speaking out and then FG reinstated the games in the country after the girls were ban by fiba. now we are loosing qualifiers in the mens world cup qualifying categogry, everything doesn’t add up for me all i see is wickedness and bully against the girls for speaking out and now e don dey backfire see the men loosing back to back to Cape verde. This reform was just designed against foreign Nigerian coaches and female players now we back to square losing matches back to back in Africa basketball.
Hahahaha….Its Buhari you want to blame for the stupidity and gross incompetence of your tin-god Sunday Dare…??? He must really be doing something spectacularly significant for you.
Everything that man touches turns into ashes. He has brought his uselessness into our Basketball and we are getting beaten left, right and centre, we even got knocked out of the Afrobasket in the R16, just like the SE got booted out of R16 of AFCON…..LMAOooo.
Thanks to his corrupt tendencies and his nauseating local content policies, the likes of Coach Mike Brown and all our quality NBA stars dont give a hoot about D’Tigers anymore after what they were made to pass through at the Tokyo Olympics…and are we not seeing the results now
No disrespect to Solomon Dalung, but Mr loquacious confused loud-mouth Sunday Dare is twice as useless as him.
May God never punish us again us with his kind of Sport Minister after he vacates that office.
F.U. You all think Cape Verde are scrubs, you dam wrong. My boy Xavier plays their, he comes from a professional organization in Italy. Not even to mention, we have players in the, NBA that are of Cape Verde descent. Imagine they played all the time. Nigeria would not even score. Nigeria just sucks! The people suck! Bunch of hackers and crooks there, everything thing about that country sucks. We have only 500,000 people but yet we the best in basketball and in 2016 we were the best African soccer. Ranked 31 in the world! Again, with only half a MILLION PEOPLE. That country is the Israel of Africa my people! If you don’t know, Cape Veterans have a rich history around the world, and has produced NBA ALL STARS, it’s just that they do not play for the country. So, stop writing garbage, like Nigeria is suppose to beat us.We are better in everything then Nigerians. Matter of fact, I’m surprised we do not win this tournament all the time. Peace and truth be told!
Na wa oh. Congrats CSN! This platform is going global to the extent Cape Verdeans are now coming here to rant! Congrats naija!!! Other African countries use us as benchmark!
Naija no dey carry last!!!