With four seconds remaining and Rwanda leading by three points (61–58), Prince Muhizi fouled Morris Udeze, who converted a two-handed dunk and a free throw to earn D’tigers’ first win in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, Window one.
Udeze’s free-throw sent the game to overtime, where D’Tigers outscored Rwanda 14-8 to survive the Rwandan upset and pick up their first win of the FIBA WC qualifiers 75-69.
Udeze completed his heroic performance with 30 points, the most by any player in Window 1 of the African Qualifiers (10 rebounds and two assists).
Morris Udeze Shines In Tunis For D’Tigers
In the first game of window one, Udeze was Nigeria’s second-best scorer with 10 points and seven rebounds.
He was behind Talib Zanna, 22 points and three assists in the overtime loss to Tunisia.
Speaking to FIBA Africa, head coach Abdulrahman Mohammed broke down Udeze’s impact on the D’Tigers and the win over Rwanda.
“I don’t want to take some of the credit away from other guys, but if he [Morris Udeze] wasn’t here I don’t know where we would have been. We gave him a role and he embraced it. He’s the most gentleman I have ever coached at the national team. He is always committed, dedicated and he is always ready. Every time he is on the floor, he gives everything he’s got. I would like to give him credit for today’s win. He’s been fantastic.”
FIBA World Cup Qualifiers – First Window Group C
- Guinea 3-0
- Tunisia 2-1
- Nigeria 1-2
- Rwanda 0-3
The second window is the reverse fixtures of the same group, with the top three advancing to the final
The top three teams from each group will merge into new pools of six, carrying over their early records. In that final phase, each nation plays six more games.
When the dust settles, only five African teams will punch their tickets to the 2027 World Cup in Doha, Qatar.
