
Mali’s Men’s National Basketball Team shocks fans with first win at FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament, defeating Nigeria’s D’Tigers 77-68.
The Nigerian team, who lost to Senegal in their opening game, seemed poised to bounce back from the defeat but unfortunately couldn’t deliver when it mattered most.
D’Tigers put up some superlative displays, dominating the game in the first three quarters to the delight of the fans that thronged in to support them at the Eko Hotels Convention Centre, Victoria’s Island.
They recorded 17-15, 43-38, and 61-53 in the first three quarters and had the entire hall rooting for them, but went into oblivion in the fourth, final, and most important quarter.
A resolute Mali team came out stronger than expected and came from behind to change a 61-53 deficit to outscore their opponents 24-7 in the final quarter of the game, coasting home to their victory.
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Head Coach of D’Tigers, Ogoh Odauda, blamed his tactics and regretted the loss to Mali, citing the loss as a fourth-quarter curse and the inability of his team to hold on to their lead.
“It’s a sad loss, and we let everyone down. We are deeply sorry for the eventual result, but this could largely be blamed on poor preparations. We want to win for Nigeria, but unfortunately, we could not have a better result. These things happen in basketball, but I don’t blame anyone but myself,” said Odauda.
Uchenna Iroegbu, who contributed immensely to the team, also expressed sadness and hope that things will improve in future competitions.
“It is a sad loss, we could have done better, but we regret the outcome of the scoreline, which did not put us in a good position. We just have to come together, see what went wrong, and see how we can improve for a better outing next time,” Iroegbu said.
Meanwhile, Mali’s Head Coach, Kaba Kante, attributed his team’s victory against Nigeria as a very good one for them as it puts them in a comfortable position ahead of their final group match.
“We are not afraid of any team. We are confident in ourselves, and we know we can rise above any opposing team in the tournament,” Kante said.