Nigeria’s D’Tigers suffered a disappointing start to the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifiers after losing 78-62 to Cameroon in Radès, Tunisia, on Thursday.
The defeat at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès leaves Nigeria with little room for error as they continue their campaign for a place at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.
Cameroon were inspired by Yves Missi, who produced a dominant performance with 24 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in 26 minutes and 42 seconds.
Missi shot nine of 13 from the field and six of eight from the free-throw line to finish with an index rating of 30 and a plus/minus of +10.
D’Tigers, coached by David Fizdale, made an encouraging start and briefly led 11-9 before Cameroon turned the momentum in their favour.
Christian Koloko’s dunk with 4:28 remaining in the first quarter levelled the scores at 11-11, after which Cameroon began to establish control.
The Central Africans finished the opening quarter 23-14 ahead, with a 13-0 run between 4:53 and 2:29 helping them extend their advantage from 11-7 to 20-11.
Nigeria recovered to draw the second quarter 18-18 but could not significantly reduce the deficit.
Cameroon edged the third quarter 19-16 before closing out the game with an 18-14 advantage in the final period.
Missi played a key role in maintaining Cameroon’s lead, throwing down emphatic dunks at 7:36 of the second quarter and 7:43 of the fourth.
His first dunk increased Cameroon’s advantage to 27-17, while the second stretched the score to 65-50 and helped prevent any late Nigerian comeback.
Nigeria’s strongest spell came early in the game when they produced a 6-0 run between 8:54 and 7:54 to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 6-2 lead.
Ike Nwamu contributed four points during the run, while Josh Okogie added two points from the free-throw line and collected a rebound.
However, Cameroon gradually imposed their rhythm and maintained a comfortable advantage for much of the contest.
The result leaves D’Tigers fourth in Group E on 11 points, with Cameroon and South Sudan occupying the two automatic qualifying positions.
Nigeria face South Sudan in their second game of the round on Friday, with the encounter taking on added significance for their World Cup hopes.
Beyond qualification for the 2027 World Cup, a strong finish in the African qualifiers could also improve D’Tigers’ prospects of earning a place in the FIBA pre-Olympic qualifying tournament.
