For Nigeria to progress, ex-Nigerian international and Lagos State Basketball Association Chairman, Babs Ogunade said that the Nigerian side will have to prove themselves that they can overcome pressure. “Against Tunisia, our team looked so ordinary and Olumide Oyedeji did not provide the cover of a big man. The wins against Central Africa Republic and Uganda were just a flash in the pan and I had said before the game against Tunisia that the real test was against the host nation. They could not handle the pressure.” Another ex-international, George Bereofore was of the opinion that individual play cost Nigeria the game against Tunisia. “Our players were too individualistic in their approach to the game. There was no inside play as we depended more on the three points shots to make the difference for us. It was very clear that we had no big man on the court because Olumide was just not in the game.” Against Mozambique, the Nigerian side will have to be weary of the Matos brothers who between them are top scorers for their team. In Mozambique’s last game against Morocco, Pio Matos led his side with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals and also led with 18 points against Senegal with 4 rebounds and 5 assists. His brother Augustos had 27 points against Angola and rated very efficient in scoring. Nigeria finished second place in Group A behind host Tunisia with 5 points having lost the last game by 70-59. Playing in front of an almost sellout crowd boosted the Tunisians who played their best game of the tournament so far. As a result of the win, Tunisia head into the Round of 16 as winners of the group ahead of the Nigerians, Central African Republic (CAF) and Uganda. Tunisia opened the contest with a 14-0 run, and led by as many as 22 points. Star big man Salah Mejri led by example, with 22 points and 7 rebounds. He blocked shots, dunked, made shots from three-point range (2 for 2), dished out an assist, did the job on the boards and, unsurprisingly, was the local fans’ favourite as they cheered with every right play he made. Ben Uzoh led Nigeria with 13 points and Michael Gbinije added 10 including two of which came off a tremendous dunk on Mejri in the third quarter. It was the first time the teams faced each other since the 2012 Olympics in London where Nigeria topped Tunisia 60-56. Michael Roll made a three-pointer with 56 seconds remaining to give Tunisia a 10-point lead. Then he added another long bomb to close out the contest. Excellent ball movement from Tunisia resulted in 19 assists compared to Nigeria’s nine. Roll is beginning to win the heart of Tunisians as he poured in a crucial 12 points. The win is a major statement of Tunisia’s intention in the tournament. They outplayed Nigeria. Although Nigeria fought hard throughout, they were nowhere near their original title credentials. In a recent interview with FIBA.com, Nigeria forward Olaseni Lawal had said that facing Tunisia was going to be an early test for them moving into the knockout round. It turns out, Nigeria failed Tunisia’s first test.
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