By Sola Bayo

Nigeria’s national men’s basketball squad, D’Tigers, concluded their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifiers Window 1 with a hard-earned 75-69 win against Rwanda on Sunday at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Tunisia.

This victory provided much-needed relief for the previous African champions, who faced challenges earlier in the round. However, they demonstrated a calm and strong performance to finish this stage on a positive note.

Rwanda began the match with a powerful start, leading 21-12 by the end of the first quarter.

In response, Nigeria improved their defense and enhanced their ball circulation, outscoring Rwanda 13-6 in the second quarter to reduce the deficit heading into the halftime break.

After the intermission, D’Tigers changed the momentum, commanding the third quarter 20-9, led by the impressive play of Morris Udeze, who emerged as Nigeria's standout player with a remarkable efficiency rating of 34.

Rwanda made a late effort, winning the final quarter 25-16, but Nigeria steadied their game in overtime, finishing with a 14-8 score to secure the victory.

Udeze’s impactful presence in the paint was vital, while Dieudonne Ndizeye led Rwanda's effort with 22 points scored.

Nigeria concluded the match shooting 39% from the field, which included a 61.3% shooting rate on two-pointers, while Rwanda recorded an overall shooting percentage of 32%.

D’Tigers also excelled at the free-throw line, achieving 63.3% success, in contrast to Rwanda’s 60%.

The closely contested match resulted in seven changes in the lead, with both teams having a maximum advantage of 12 points at various moments.

Nigeria held the lead for 19 minutes and 17 seconds, while Rwanda was ahead for 23 minutes.

The outcome provides D’Tigers with a confidence-boosting finish to the initial qualifying round, with focus now shifting to the preparations for Window 2 in 2026.