Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, crashed out of the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket championship after suffering a 91-75 defeat to Senegal in their quarter-final clash at the Pavilhão Multiusos de Luanda in Angola on Wednesday.
The encounter marked the ninth meeting between the two nations, with Nigeria having won five of their previous eight duels. The 2015 champions had topped Group B after winning all three round-robin matches against Madagascar, Tunisia and Cameroon, while Senegal advanced to the last eight through a play-off victory over South Sudan.
Head coach Mohammed Abdulrahman’s men edged the first quarter 24-23, but they unravelled in the second as the impressive Jean-Jacques Boissy inspired Senegal to dominate 30-18, handing them an 11-point lead at half-time.
Senegal maintained the momentum in the third quarter, outscoring Nigeria 23-13. D’Tigers mounted a spirited comeback in the final period, edging it 20-15, but their rally came too late to save their campaign.
Nigeria attempted 73 field goals, converting 35.6 per cent, with 35 rebounds, 14 assists, eight steals and three blocks. Senegal, meanwhile, recorded 70 attempts with a superior 47.1 per cent conversion rate, 53 rebounds, 14 assists, five steals and 16 turnovers.
Co-captain Ike Nwamu led Nigeria with 15 points, while Stan Okoye, Caleb Agada and Martins Igbanu added 14, 12 and 12 points respectively. Senegal’s Brancou Badio starred with a game-high 32 points, supported by Boissy’s 19 and Moustapha Pape-Diop’s 14.
The defeat ended Nigeria’s AfroBasket campaign at the quarter-final stage. D’Tigers will now turn their focus to the FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Series in November, as they seek a place at the 2027 edition in Qatar, having missed out on the 2023 tournament.