Nigeria’s D’Tigers point guard, Caleb Agada, has admitted that the team must improve after suffering a 82-79 defeat to South Sudan in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers.
The defeat was Nigeria’s second consecutive loss in the current qualifying window, following a 78-62 defeat to Cameroon on Thursday.
Agada acknowledged that D’Tigers struggled to match South Sudan’s intensity, particularly after the Bright Stars raced into a 30-19 lead in the opening quarter.
“We lacked the energy to stay in the game. We were not ourselves for most of the game,” Agada said.
Nigeria fought back and briefly turned the game around in the third quarter, but South Sudan held on to secure the three-point victory.
The game went down to the final moments, with Chimezie Metu and Josh Okogie missing late three-point attempts that could have forced overtime.
Agada, however, refused to make excuses for the defeat, praising South Sudan for their performance and insisting that the team can still improve.
“We will continue to work on improving our game. There is room for improvement, and we will get better,” he added.
Chimezie Metu led Nigeria with 17 points, while Chima Moneke scored 16 and Josh Okogie contributed 14 points and eight rebounds.
South Sudan were led by Marial Shayok with 19 points, while Carlik Jones recorded 11 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds.
The result leaves Nigeria with a 4-4 record in Group E and fifth place in the standings.
D’Tigers will face Cape Verde in their final game of the qualifying window on Sunday, with the team needing a victory to keep their hopes of reaching the 2027 Basketball World Cup alive.
