D’Tigers crush Cape Verde 100-84, revive World Cup hopes

D’Tigers secured a dominant 100-84 win over Cape Verde in the final game of the fourth window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers to remain firmly in the hunt for a ticket to the tournament in Qatar, *The PUNCH *reports.

Caleb Agada put on a shooting clinic, scoring 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including 8-of-11 from three-point range, as Nigeria claimed a convincing win at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Radès, Tunisia.

Nigeria seized control from the opening tip and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire and building a 27-point cushion before seeing out the game.

David Fizdale’s men were quick out of the blocks, racing to a 9-0 lead and closing out the first quarter 23-9.

They maintained the momentum in the second quarter, extending their advantage to 52-35 at the break.

The lead grew to 76-54 after the third quarter before the former African champions saw out the game 100-84 in the final period.

Agada was the undisputed star for Nigeria, finishing with 26 points, four rebounds and six assists in just under 24 minutes of action.

The guard also came up big when Cape Verde threatened to close the gap, knocking down two three-pointers and adding a two-point basket for eight points between 3:44 and 1:38 of the final quarter to put the game beyond the Islanders.

Josh Okogie delivered a near triple-double with 15 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and four steals, recording an efficiency rating of 25 and a game-high +28 plus/minus.

Chimezie Metu anchored Nigeria on the glass with 12 rebounds, while also contributing six points, four assists and one steal.

After their first two defeats against Cameroon and South Sudan, the victory reignited Nigeria’s hopes of securing a World Cup spot going into the final qualifying window in February/March 2027.

Following the next three games, the top two teams in each group, alongside the best third-placed team, will qualify for the World Cup.

The final qualifying window will take place in February 2027, with five African teams set to secure tickets to the World Cup in Qatar.