The Nigeria D’Tigers defeated defending champions Tunisia in Luanda with a dominant 87-66 victory to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIBA Basketball Africa Championship.
NBA star Josh Okogie scored 31 points in a dominant performance, helping Nigeria to its second consecutive victory in Group B. The D’Tigers led 48-33 at halftime, extending their lead to 68-47 in the third quarter and maintaining control to secure a 21-point victory.
The victory means Nigeria advanced to the quarterfinals, one game ahead of Madagascar, who defeated them 77-59 in their opening match. Tunisia, having previously lost to Cameroon 86-65, is now on the verge of elimination.
26-year-old Okogie recently joined the NBA Houston Rockets, coached by former D’Tigers star Ime Udoka. He was born in Lagos but moved to the United States at the age of three. He grew up in Snellville, Georgia, and began his basketball career at Hilo High School School before playing professional basketball at Georgia Tech.
Nigeria will face Cameroon in the group stage, while Tunisia will need to thoroughly defeat Madagascar to have a chance of staying in the tournament.
The D’Tigers, champions of the 2015 African Basketball Championship, have also won four silver medals (1997, 1999, 2003, 2017) and three bronze medals (1995, 2005, 2011), solidifying their place as one of the giants of African basketball.
