D’Tigers opened the game brightly, racing to a 5–0 lead with a three-pointer from Zanna and a composed finish from Captain Ike Nwamu. Tunisia, however, responded quickly, levelling the score and edging ahead 8–5 within the first five minutes. Nigeria regained control and claimed the first quarter 15–12.

Ogundiran pushed Nigeria further ahead at the start of the second quarter, making it 17–12, but Tunisia slowly grew into the game. A stronger offensive stretch saw the North Africans take the quarter 23–17 and head into halftime with a 35–32 advantage.

The third quarter was a tense and physical affair. Nigeria trailed for most of the period but clawed back to win it 21–18, tying the contest at 53–53 heading into the final stretch.

D’Tigers dominated large spells of the fourth quarter and held a narrow lead, but they faltered late on. Omar Abada and Oussama Marnaoui inspired Tunisia to a 73–70 advantage before Okoye’s clutch finish, with 15 seconds remaining, forced overtime.

Tunisia carried their momentum into the extra period. Abada, who finished with a game-high 29 points, proved unstoppable as Nigeria struggled to match the intensity. D’Tigers eventually fell 88–78.

Zanna led Nigeria with an impressive 22 points and eight rebounds.

Coach Abdulrahman’s men will now look to regroup ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash with Guinea before facing Rwanda on Sunday. The group will reconvene in July 2026 for the second phase.

The top three teams from each group advance to next year’s second round, where 12 teams will be split into two groups of six, carrying forward all first-round results. Only the top two teams in each group and the best third-placed side will secure World Cup berths.

Nigeria, currently ranked eighth in Africa by FIBA, are under pressure to restore their former dominance. Their last World Cup appearance was in 2019, and they failed to qualify for the 2023 edition.