RADES (Tunisia) - The 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers match-up between South Sudan and Nigeria went down to the wire with the Bright Stars recording a 3-point win, 82-79.
It all came down to the final play of the game in which Chimezie Metu and Josh Okogie missed 3-pointers that could have sent the contest to overtime.
The victory for South Sudan, their second in phase two of the qualifiers, sends them top of Group E with a 6-2 record, with the last group of the window to come on Sunday against Tunisia.
Royal Ivey, the man in charge of the Bright Stars, praised his charges for the win but most importantly said the "job is not done."
“I’m proud of my guys; we were down 3 at halftime [which is] a little adversity, but kudos to my guys for their competitive nature; they never quit. They kept the focus and got the job done, but we are not satisfied with this win. We play again in two days, so they have to stay focused,” Ivey said.
A game of runs and adjustments
Basketball is a game of runs and adjustments. The match-up between the Bright Stars and D’Tigers proved the assertion.
South Sudan got off a fast start at Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès, exploding for 30 points in the opening quarter. Nigeria seemed like they wouldn’t contain the high-octane South Sudan offence.
However, the two-minute talk at the end of the quarter from coach David Fizdale changed the tide of the game.
Nigeria adjusted to a zone defense and the Bright Stars couldn’t find a field goal in four minutes; at the opposite end, they had been put over the foul limit by the halfway mark.
“I don’t think any team on this continent can run with us, so they had to make adjustments. They went zone, and it worked for them, but we didn’t quit, stayed resilient, and found ways and solutions,” Ivey pointed out.
Nigeria’s set defense limited South Sudan to 13 points, but most importantly, their offence started to get going, scoring 27 points to set a platform for an exciting second half.
South Sudan found a new hero in their drive and kick game with Marial Shayok, who finished with a game-high 19 points, cashing from behind the 3-point line. At the opposite end, Nigeria went to low post through Metu, who netted 17 points, and Ebuka Izundu.
FIBA