Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, saw their 2025 FIBA AfroBasket journey end at the quarter-final stage after a 91-75 loss to Senegal in Luanda on Wednesday.

The encounter, the ninth between the two nations, saw Nigeria edge the opening quarter 24-23 before faltering in the second as Jean-Jacques Boissy inspired Senegal to a dominant 30-18 spell that swung the contest.

The 2015 champions never fully recovered, with Senegal tightening their grip in the third quarter to build an unassailable lead.

Despite a late fightback in the final quarter, Nigeria’s rally fell short. Co-captain Ike Nwamu led with 15 points, supported by Stan Okoye, Caleb Agada, and Martins Igbanu, who added 14, 12, and 12 points respectively.

But the night belonged to Senegal’s Brancou Badio, who dropped 32 points, with Boissy and Moustapha Pape-Diop also starring.

Statistically, Nigeria converted just 35.6 per cent of their field goals compared to Senegal’s 47.1 per cent, and were out-rebounded 53 to 35.

The defeat ends Nigeria’s impressive run after topping Group B with wins over Madagascar, Tunisia, and Cameroon.

With their AfroBasket campaign over, D’Tigers will now shift focus to the FIBA Men’s World Cup qualifiers in November, as they aim to return to the global stage in Qatar 2027 after missing the 2023 edition.