VIDEO: Nigeria recovers to beat Mali in FIBA W/Cup qualifier
Having suffered a shocking opening day defeat to Cape Verde, Nigeria’s D’Tigers recovered to beat rivals Mali 72-70 in FIBA world cup qualifying match Saturday.
In fact, it seemed D’Tigers would lose their second match in a row; at one stage trailing the Malians with 12-points.
But with veteran captain Ike Diogu, the Nigerians dug deep and pushed the Malians till victory was secured.
Jordan Ogundiran and Chris Obekp added fire to the team and the result was clear at the end of play.
Ogundiran did not feature in the first game but finished this one with 19 points off the bench.
Diogu hit four of his six three-point attempts to finish with 19 points while Ben Uzoh made 11 points and added a game-high seven assists.
This win means D’Tigers can advance to the next stage provided they stop shock revelations Uganda who dismissed Cape Verde 77-74 in the other group match.
Here are the full results of match day 2:
Mazino Dickson/fiba.com
