Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, started their 2025 Afrobasket Championship on a winning note on Wednesday afternoon.
The 2015 Afrobasket champion secured a convincing 77-59 win over Mozambique with 2021 Tokyo Olympian Caleb Agada leading the team in points.
Caleba Agada was on the court for a quarter of an hour and scored 25 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
Afrobasket 2015 champion Stan Okoye came off the bench to register 12 points, five rebounds, and an assist, while Ike Nwamu, another 2021 Tokyo Olympian, bagged 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
The D’Tigers started the match on a good note, scoring 71% of their field goals, while the Mozambicans registered an impressive 80% field goal percentage. Coach Mohammed Abdulrahman’s side ended the first quarter 18-14.
However, the D’Tigers struggled to replicate their explosive start in the second quarter, as they managed just 40% of their shots.
Nigeria scored seven from 16 two-point field goal attempts and three from nine three-point attempts as Nigeria took a slim 38-37 lead into the first half break
The D’Tigers stepped out strong in the third quarter as they showed great defensive work, reducing the Mozambicans to just seven points while they secured 17, increasing the gap to double figures.
Nigeria wrapped up the win in the final quarter as they scored the highest points in the match—22—while Mozambique managed just 13.
The win takes Nigeria to the top of Group B with two points. Caleb Agada and the rest of the crew will go into the next fixture with confidence as they take on defending champions Tunisia on Friday.
