Nigeria’s D’Tigers have won their second consecutive game of 2017 Afrobasket Championships taking place in Tunisia to top group A after producing a masterclass performance to beat Mali.
It was a game that looked like a banana peel for D’Tigers, but they ended up with a convincing triumph, routing their West African counterparts by 90-67 points.
Mali led from the jump off, immediately opening up a 6-point lead after a minute had been played, but the Nigerians started growing into the game and took total control from the second quarter.
Nigeria ensured that they kept their lead intact going into the break leading by 39-33, and unlike in their first match against Ivory Coast they didn’t lose the lead, rather they opened up a wider margin at the restart.
The Nigerian side looked rejuvenated as they spread the points around the team, unlike in the first game when skipper Ike Diogu shouldered most of the scoring burden, and reaching a game high 31 points.
Rather on Saturday, it was an outstanding Ikechukwu Nwamu who led the way with 22 points, in fact his shots accuracy was so good that he made 6 of the 9 attempted 3-point shots.
Bryant Mbamalu contributed 17 points, 5 assists and 7 steals while Ikechukwu Iroegbu had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, with Diogu making 15 points and 4 rebounds.
Nigeria will play Congo on Sunday as they look to consolidate on their top spot in group A, as they hope to successfully defend the Afrobasket title.
