Nigeria Defeats Kenya 71-55 At Afrobasket Championships
D’Tigers of Nigeria continued it’s red hot start to the 2021 FIBA Afrobasket championships with a71-55 win against Kenya at the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
After beating Mali in the opening game, Nigeria went into the Kenya game on a high and were determined to record another win. Coach Mike Brown started Ike Ndugba, Ben Emegolu, Daniel Utomi, Stephen Domingo and Emmanuel Omogbo for the contest.
The Nigerians got off to a flying start, leading 20-8 by the end of the first quarter.
The Kenyans had their moments in the game as they Kenya rallied to try to reduce the deficit in the second quarter. However, Nigeria had an 8 point advantage, leading 34-26 after the second quarter.
The contest was living up to the hype as both teams were determined to get a result at the Kigali Arena.
Nigeria extended the lead to go up 49-39 by the end of the third quarter. D’Tigers finished the third quarter better than they did in the second.
However, the Nigerians really turned it up in the fourth quarter to end the game with a final score of 71-55. Jeremiah Mordi recorded 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 3 steals. Uzodinma Utomi had 17 points to emerge as Nigeria’s top scorer.
Nigeria, who had the upper hand for most parts of the contest, won their second consecutive match at the Afrobasket Championships. will now face Ivory Coast to round up the group stage on August 29.
If Nigeria beats Ivory Coast on Sunday, they will qualify directly for the quarter-finals. However, a loss will see them finishing second to battle for qualification to the quarter-finals among the second-placed and third-placed teams.
Chidi Nwoke/NBBF.
