Nigeria’s D’Tigers yesterday in Luanda, Angola, overpowered defending champions Tunisia 87–66 in their second Group Stage clash at the 2025 FIBA Men’s AfroBasket. 

The win keeps the 2015 champions unbeaten after their opening 77–59 victory over Madagascar.

Nigeria seized early control, taking a 29–16 lead in the first quarter before pulling away with a dominant third period.

With two wins from two games, D’Tigers are well on course for an automatic quarter-final berth, and their statement victory over Tunisia serves notice to the rest of the continent that they remain serious title contenders.

The result however compounds Tunisia’s woes after their shock 86–65 defeat to Cameroon in the opening game, ending their decade-long unbeaten AfroBasket run.

According to FIBA.com, NBA star Josh Okogie lit up the arena with a sensational 33-point display, shooting 12-of-19 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, significantly boosting Nigeria’s quarterfinal hopes.

Tunisia’s Omar Abada and Yacine Toumi each contributed 13 points, but their efforts fell short as the Carthage Eagles slumped to a 0–2 record in the group.

The D’Tigers started strong, racing to a 10–0 lead with early three-pointers from Caleb Agada and Ike Nwamu. Talib Zanna and Kaodirichi Akonbundu added points in the paint, forcing Tunisia’s coach Mehdi Mary to call a timeout just three and a half minutes into the game.

Nigeria played with confidence throughout, with Okogie scoring 10 points in the first quarter alone, helping his team to a 29–16 lead. He continued his dominance in the second quarter, adding nine more points—including a deep three-pointer and a pair of free throws—to extend Nigeria’s lead to 38–19.

Tunisia struggled to match Nigeria’s intensity, with their attempts to close the gap thwarted by D’Tigers’ stifling defense. Agada’sfree throws pushed the lead to 48–27, but Tunisia responded with a Bilel Jeziri three-pointer and a dramatic and-one play by Jawadi, narrowing the score to 48–33 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Nigeria widened the gap to 63–43 with four minutes remaining. Okogie added 12 more points through aggressive drives, a three-pointer, and free throws, helping Nigeria maintain a 68–47 lead heading into the final stretch.

Okogie was the focal point of Nigeria’s offense, finishing with an efficiency rating of 32. His consistency will be crucial as D’Tigersaim for a deep run in the tournament.

Nigeria close their group campaign next against Cameroon, while Tunisia will look to salvage their hopes against Madagascar.

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