31 points from Mike Nuga were not enough as D'Tigers lost to Libya in their opening Afrobasket qualifier.
With a rebound short of a quadruple-double, Mohamed Sadi did everything right to lead Libya to a historic overtime victory over Nigeria, 89-82.
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Sadi, scored, set up teammates for baskets, repeatedly stymied Nigeria's offensive flow, and risked his body for his side against stronger and taller Nigerian opponents.
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Sadi propels Libya past Nigeria's D'Tigers
Sadi accomplished an unprecedented triple-double by the final buzzer, recording 24 points, 12 assists,10 steals, and nine rebounds—a record unmatched in the AfroBasket Qualifiers' history.
Libya had a bright start to the Qualifiers thanks to 18 points from Sofian Hamad, who came off the bench, and 15 points and 8 rebounds from Mohamed Buzgaiya.
With 31 points, Mike Nuga led all players in scoring for Nigeria, but the D'Tigers' 27 turnovers proved costly for a squad that had only arrived in Tunisia a few hours before their first Group B match.
Despite closing the gap to 16 points and taking the lead (74–72) in the fourth quarter thanks to a three-pointer from Nuga, Nigeria lost a great chance to win the game due to a series of careless errors in the final minutes.
D'Tigers will aim to bounce back against Uganda on Saturday, February 24, 2024.
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