D’Tigers Defeat Rwanda To Boost Basketball World Cup Hopes
The D’Tigers of Nigeria defeated Rwanda 75-69 in their third qualification game for the 2027 FIBA World Cup.
Nigeria endured a disappointing start to the playoffs, losing their first two matches against Tunisia, and Guinea before battling it out to seal a deserved victory against Rwanda.
The Coach Abdulrahman Mohamed-led side lost the first quarter 12-21 before bouncing back to win the second quarter second and third quarters 13-6 and 20-9, respectively.
However, Rwanda fought back to win the fourth quarter 25-16 to take the game to overtime after the last quarter ended 61-61.
Nigeria emerged victorious in the overtime with a 14-5 scoreline to end their losing run in the playoffs.
D’Tigers currently occupy the third position in the group with one win in three matches.
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Nigeria will be hoping to improve in the 3rd, 4th and 5th windows of the Qualifiers, starting from June 2026 in order to qualify for the World Cup.
All three teams in the group will play one another again for the second phase of the qualification round.
The top three teams from the group will qualify for the final round.
The top five African teams will qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, scheduled for August 27 to September 12.
