LUANDA (Angola) - Nigeria put in a masterful display to go 2-0 in Group B of the 2025 AfroBasket game when they obliterated reigning champions Tunisia 87-66 on Friday afternoon at the Pavilhao Multusos de Luanda.
NBA Josh Okogie lit the arena up and helped Nigeria's quarter-final chance with a 33-point display. Okogie scored from 12/19 attempts, and he was 6/6 from the free-throw line.
Tunisia's Omar Abada and Yacine Toumi scored 13 points each, but it was in vain as the Carthage Eagles nosedived to a 0-2 record in the group.
TURNING POINT: The D'Tigers raced to a 10-0 lead with threes from Caleb Agada and Ike Nwamu. Talib Zanna and Kaodirichi Akonbundu got buckets in the paint, which forced coach Mehdi Mary to call a time-out three-and-a-half minutes into the game.
Nigeria played with confidence, and Okogie exhibited that with his 10 points, which came from 4/5 attempts, and his team went into the quarter with a 29-16 lead.
In the second quarter, Okogie caught fire, leading Nigeria in scoring with nine points, which included a pair of free throws and a three-pointer from a metre from the arc for the 38-19 lead.
Tunisia could not match Nigeria's energy, as their attempts to close the gap were met by a stifling D'Tigers defence.
With two minutes to play in the quarter, Agada made his shots count at the free throw line for the 48 27 lead, but Tunisia would hit the 30-point mark with a Bilel Jeziri three-pointer, and a Jawadi drive to the bucket saw him get tripped by, and as he fell, his circus shot landed. Jawadi complete his and one play at the charity stripe for the 48-33 scoreline.
Nigeria had all the answers in the third quarter, building a 20-point (63-43) lead, with four minutes left. Okogie added 12 to his tally with incisive drives to the hoop, a three-pointer and a couple of free throws. Nigeria remained on top with a 68-47 lead.
HERO: NBA player Okogie was the sharp point of Nigeria's offence, setting the tone for what would be a monumental victory. He netted an efficiency of 32 in the game, and as Nigeria try to go deeper in the tournament, this level of consistency from Okogie will be key for the D'Tigers.
STATS DON'T LIE: Nigeria outplayed Tunisia in almost every stat line. They were able to turn good defence into buckets, scoring 17 points from turnovers and 16 fast-break points. The D'Tigers dominated in second-chance points (9-4), and the bench delivered 25 points.
BOTTOM LINE: Nigeria are at the top of their game in the group. In their two games, the D'Tigers have executed coach Abdulrahman Mohamed's game plan to a tee.
WHAT THEY SAID: "We feel good (about the win). The job is not done, but I feel we can win this whole thing. We feel really good. We executed well. We followed our coach's game plan. Everyone played their role, and if everyone continues to do that, anything is possible." - Nigeria forward Devine Eke.
FIBA