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AfroBasket: Nigeria to play Angola in final.

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D'Tigers

In from Nifemi Daniel …
Nigeria senior male basketball team, the D’Tigers on Saturday caused an upset at the on-going AfroBasket 2015 after securing an 88—79 overtime win over Senegal on Saturday in Rades, Tunisia.
They are to meet Angola today (Sunday) for the final match of the competition.
Angola defeated hosts Tunisia 58-51 in the second semifinal Saturday night.
D’Tigers’s sharpshooter Chamberlain Oguchi made 8 of his 13 three-pointers to lead all scorers with 28 points, while Gorgui Dieng, who spent the entire 45 minutes and was in foul limit, propelled Senegal with 20 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
It was a balanced game with seven lead changes as the win ends Senegal’s five-game winning streak in the tournament.
Nigeria’s nine-point lead in the second was short-lived as Ibrahima Thomas hit a three-pointer with three seconds to give Senegal a 37-35 half-time lead.
But when Nigeria entered the final minute of the regulation leading 76-73, Dieng thought they needed extra five minutes, making a three-pointer to tie the contest at 76-76.

Read also: AfroBasket: Nigeria beat Gabon, move to semifinals

Nigeria’s team rotation proved crucial as their bench came with a pivotal 21-point contribution.
With the result Nigeria, reach the AfroBasket final for the first time since 2003.
Turning Point: Oguchi hit a three-pointer with 1:07 minute to give Nigeria a 82-76 to decide the contest with is three-pointers being detrimental for Senegal who attempted to reach the final of the tournament for the second time since 1997.
Nigeria’s Olaseni Lawal who was the game hero stepped on floor to do whatever it was needed to spark his country. By the end of the first quarter Lawal led Nigeria with 11 points.
It was a balanced contest with Nigeria capitalising from Oguchi three-pointer’s accuracy, while Senegal struggled at both ends of the floor.

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