D'Tigers lose 89-82 to Libya in Afrobasket qualifier

31 points from Mike Nuga were not enough as D'Tigers lost to Libya in their opening Afrobasket qualifier.

D'Tigers lose 89-82 to Libya in Afrobasket qualifier

Tosin Abayomi 07:00 - 24.02.2024

31 points from Mike Nuga were not enough as D'Tigers lost to Libya in their opening Afrobasket qualifier.

With a rebound short of a quadruple-double, Mohamed Sadi did everything right to lead Libya to a historic overtime victory over Nigeria, 89-82.

Sadi, scored, set up teammates for baskets, repeatedly stymied Nigeria's offensive flow, and risked his body for his side against stronger and taller Nigerian opponents.

Sadi propels Libya past Nigeria's D'Tigers

Sadi accomplished an unprecedented triple-double by the final buzzer, recording 24 points, 12 assists,10 steals, and nine rebounds—a record unmatched in the AfroBasket Qualifiers' history.

31 points from Mike Nuga were not enough as D'Tigers lost to Libya in their opening Afrobasket qualifier.
31 points from Mike Nuga were not enough as D'Tigers lost to Libya in their opening Afrobasket qualifier.

Libya had a bright start to the Qualifiers thanks to 18 points from Sofian Hamad, who came off the bench, and 15 points and 8 rebounds from Mohamed Buzgaiya.

With 31 points, Mike Nuga led all players in scoring for Nigeria, but the D'Tigers' 27 turnovers proved costly for a squad that had only arrived in Tunisia a few hours before their first Group B match.

31 points from Mike Nuga were not enough as D'Tigers lost to Libya in their opening Afrobasket qualifier.
31 points from Mike Nuga were not enough as D'Tigers lost to Libya in their opening Afrobasket qualifier.

Despite closing the gap to 16 points and taking the lead (74–72) in the fourth quarter thanks to a three-pointer from Nuga, Nigeria lost a great chance to win the game due to a series of careless errors in the final minutes.

D'Tigers will aim to bounce back against Uganda on Saturday, February 24, 2024.

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