D’TIGERS of Nigeria delivered a blowout 106-62 victory over Rwanda in Luanda, Angola in their final game of the first round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifiers.
D’Tigers seized control early, built a double-digit lead in the opening quarter, and extended the margin in every period. The final score reflected complete control from start to finish.
Caleb Agada set the tone for D’Tigers with a stellar all-around performance, finishing with 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists.
The guard added 4 steals and 1 block, shot 5-of-7 from the field-including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc-and posted a game-high +33 plus/minus and 25 efficiency. He orchestrated the offense and anchored the defence, putting on a show at both ends.
Uche Iroegbu provided a spark with 17 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals in 26:27, while Christian Mekowulu contributed 13 points and 7 rebounds in just 15:31.
Chimezie Metu chipped in 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block, and Ike Iroegbu added 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.
On the other side, Prince Twa led Rwanda with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, including an 8-point burst in a span of 1:52 spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth quarter.
D’Tigers’ biggest run came across the end of the second quarter and into the third, when they put together a 12-0 run over 4:33, turning a 45-29 lead into a commanding 57-29 advantage.
Agada led the surge with 4 points on perfect shooting during the stretch, as Nigeria put the game to bed before the final quarter.
Rwanda never held a lead at any point in the game, with their largest advantage standing at zero. Nigeria’s largest lead was 46 points, achieved twice in the fourth quarter-first with 1:25 remaining (56-102) and again with 0:59 left (58-104).
This margin closely matched the final difference, underscoring D’Tigers’ overwhelming victory.
The huge win over Rwanda is D’Tigers’ third in three games in this window.
In the Angolan capital, D’Tigers caused upsets by beating high-flying group leaders Guinea 80-79 and Tunisia 84-81 to advance to the second round.
“We came out with a few different schematics defensively. Our guys did an incredible job limiting some of their better players from getting the type of looks that they normally get,” said D’Tigers head coach David Vanterpool.
He continued: “One of their better shooters [Justin Uwitonze] finished with three points [1-for-7 from behind the arc] . That is indicative of how our guys locked in on the game-plan, they executed at high level and stayed together through adversity.”
With FIBA report
