Nigeria's D'Tigers began the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifiers with a 78-62 loss to Cameroon at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Radès, Tunisia, on Thursday. Yves Missi powered Cameroon with 24 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, finishing with a 30 efficiency rating in 26 minutes on court.
Coach David Fizdale's side briefly led 11-9 before Christian Koloko's dunk tied the game at 11-11 with 4:28 left in the opening quarter. Cameroon closed the period on a 13-0 surge to lead 23-14 and never trailed again.
Nigeria tied the second quarter 18-18 but were edged 19-16 in the third and 18-14 in the fourth as Cameroon controlled the game. Missi's dunks at 7:36 of the second quarter and 7:43 of the final period pushed the lead to 27-17 and 65-50 respectively.
D'Tigers now sit fourth in Group E with 11 points, behind Cameroon and South Sudan, who hold the two automatic qualifying spots for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar. Nigeria face South Sudan on Friday in their next game.
