The Coach Ogoh Oduadu-led team trailed until the fourth quarter before nipping past Guinea 62-59 in their second qualification match on Saturday.
The first quarter was tied 13-13, though the Guineans went 6-0 before the Nigerians scored their first through Victor Anthony.
The second quarter went to the Guineans at 22-18, and they followed that up with a 13-8 win in the third, but the Nigerians flexed their muscles in the fourth, winning it 23-11 and taking the game and the two points with a three-point win.
D’Tigers started with Michael Afuwape, Ibe Aabuchi Agu, Wisdom Anyaoha, Michael Darambola, and the star from the win over Cote d’Ivoire, Victor Ezeh. He was again the standout with 16 points, joined by Darambola, who also posted 16 points. Aguilars and Victor Anthony contributed eight points each.
At the post-match press conference, Coach Oduadu said he was just happy for the win. “All in all, I am happy for the win, but it was scrappy, it was rough, but I am glad that the boys fought back and eventually got the win.
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“A win, is a win, no matter how you go about getting the win. We are happy with the win,” he added.
With the win, Nigeria is into the third place with 14 points though they have played a game more than Angola and Cape Verde, who are meeting this afternoon in continuation of the quest to join Cote d’Ivoire, who have already qualified from Group E.
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