Nigeria’s D’Tigers defeated Uganda 95-69 on Sunday to take the lead in Group A of the African Qualifiers for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Following a 71-79 loss to Cape Verde on Friday, when the window one of matches began, the Nigerian team defeated Mali 72-70 on Saturday.
With an overwhelming victory over the East Africans on Sunday, they regained control of the group.
The FIBA world-ranked 23 team took control of the game from the start, winning the first quarter 25-18 at the City Arena in the Angolan city of Benguela.
The second quarter was nearly identical to the first, with a 28-19 victory, while the D’Tigers cruised through the third quarter 14-8.
The Ugandans fought harder in the fourth quarter to reclaim some of their lost prestige, but the Nigerians were unstoppable for them as they won 28-24.
Ike Diogu, the team’s leader, was once again inspirational, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), 16 African teams are competing in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers over five tournament windows spanning 15 months.
The Qualifiers will take place between November 2021 and February 2023, with five African national teams competing for a spot in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
The World Cup will be held in Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines from August 25 to September 10, 2023.
The second window of the first round of qualifiers will open in February, according to NAN.