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D’Tigers Rekindle Nigeria’s FIBA World Cup Hopes, Defeats Cote d’Ivorie

Nigeria’s men’s basketball national team, D’Tigers on Friday ended Côte d’Ivoire’s unbeaten run to boost their 2023 World Cup qualification hopes’.

Friday’s game was Nigeria’s first of three games in the final qualifying window (second round) in Group E for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

The Nigerian side predominantly made up of home-grown talents defeated the Ivorians 72 points to 63 in the tense game in Luanda, Angola.

Cote d’ Ivorie have already booked their place in the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup from 25 August to 10 September that will be co-hosted by Japan, Indonesia and Philippines.

The Ivorians went into the game against the Nigerians on the back of a seven straight victories.

Prior to the start of the second round, Nigeria were third on the log after a win and two defeats in the first qualifying window which was held in November 2022.

On Saturday, February 25 will see D’Tigers in a clash against francophone west African side, Guinea.

The Nigerian team will round off the final qualifying round against hosts Angola on Sunday, 26th February.

The two-best placed teams from Group E and F and the best third-placed team will qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Izuchukwu Okosi

Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc. In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio. He worked there for 13 years until October 2017. Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch. He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations. Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line. Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.