D’Tigers made a poor start to the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifiers, suffering a 78-62 defeat to Cameroon in their opening game at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Radès, Tunisia, on Thursday, The PUNCH reports.
Yves Missi delivered a standout performance for Cameroon with 24 points, nine rebounds and four blocks as the Central Africans secured a comfortable win.
Coach David Fizdale’s team appeared to have started the game on the front foot, but their composure lasted only until midway through the first quarter, when Cameroon levelled the scores at 11-11 before opening up a nine-point lead.
The decisive stretch unfolded with four minutes and 28 seconds left in the opening quarter, when Christian Koloko threw down a dunk to tie the score at 11-11 after Nigeria had briefly led 11-9. The play brought the teams level and marked the beginning of a momentum shift that would define the rest of the game.
Cameroon won the first quarter 23-14 before D’Tigers managed to tie the second quarter 18-18. However, Nigeria were edged 19-16 in the third and 18-14 in the fourth as Cameroon secured a 16-point victory after controlling the game from the first half and never allowing Nigeria to seriously threaten down the stretch.
