D’Tigers dominate Madagascar in 77-59 victory to kick off AfroBasket 2025 campaign
Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, started their 2025 AfroBasket campaign with a convincing 77-59 win over Madagascar in their opening Group B match.
The team’s all-around impressive performance at the Pavilhão Multiusos de Luanda in Angola captivated fans.
Despite an early scare and losing the second quarter 23-20, D’Tigers secured the victory.
They led 18-14 after the first quarter, and the score was a tight 38-37 midway through when Madagascar attempted a comeback.
READ ALSO: Nigeria reigns again as D’Tigress topple Mali to win 5th consecutive AfroBasket title
However, the third quarter proved decisive, with Nigeria extending their lead to 55-46 before closing out the game with an 18-point margin.
Caleb Agada, a 2025 Basketball Africa League winner with Al Ahli Tripoli, was the top scorer for the 2015 AfroBasket champions.
He recorded 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals, earning a game-high efficiency rating of 25.
This marks the second time Agada has scored a game-high 22 points against Madagascar in an AfroBasket tournament, with their previous meeting being in 2011.
Other key players in Nigeria’s success included Stan Okoye with 13 points, captain Ike Nwamu with 12, and Kaodirichi Akobundu with 10.
For Madagascar, Sitraka Raharimanantoanina’s 20 points, along with Kiady Razanamahenina’s 13 and Mathias M’madi’s 11, were not enough to overcome Nigeria’s dominant third-quarter performance.
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