D’TIGERS have ended their quest for a first AfroCan basketball tournament title with a 74-72 defeat to Democratic Republic of Congo in Luanda, Angola today.
The Nigerian men fought back from a big deficit in the tense quarter-final game only to fall short by two points in the closing seconds.
DR Congo, who had won their two group games before today’s match-up, raced to a 12-point lead in the first quarter, ending it 31-19.
D’Tigers cut the lead down to eight points by half-time, and were within five points of the defending champions going into the final quarter.
Nigeria’s remarkable fightback saw them win three straight quarters, but the damage had been done with their sluggish first quarter performance and, despite leading briefly in the fourth period, it was too little, too late.
Kanyinsola Odufuwa stood out for D’Tigers with his game-high 23 points, while DR Congo’s Pitchou Manga led the game in rebounds with 15.
DR Congo will battle Morocco in the semi-finals tomorrow, after the North Africans saw off Kenya 55-46 earlier today.
The AfroCan tournament is for African national teams featuring only home-based players. It was launched in 2019.
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