The Nigeria senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers put up a spirited display Friday night in their opening game of the FIBA Afrobasket 2025 qualifiers but lost 82-89 to Libya.
There was uncertainty over the participation of D’Tigers before a last minute arrangement saw them arriving in Tunisia a few hours before their opening match.
With only nine players and no form of practice, the odds were heavily stacked against D’Tigers.
Libya made the most of their advantage racing to a 16-point lead in the first quarter which ended 25-16 in favour of the North Africans.
Though D’Tigers won the second quarter 19-15, the Libyans still maintained a healthy lead going into half time.
Libya extended their lead as they won the third quarter 20-15 and while it looked like a lost cause for Nigeria, D’Tigers clawed their way back winning the last quarter 25-15.
With the game tied at 75-75, the fierce contest extended into extra time.
It was in the extra time Libya out muscled D’Tigers; winning it 14-7 and taking the game 89-82.
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Mike Nuga made a colossal contribution to the D’Tigers with a whopping 31 points but Mohamed Sadi proved pivotal for Libya.
He was great at both ends of the floor and finished with a triple double almost got a quadruple-double.
He was one rebound short.
Having come really close against Libya despite the unfavourable circumstances they found themselves, D’Tigers will be eyeing a positive result in their second game against Uganda on Saturday.