Josh Okogie turned in a strong all-around performance for Nigeria in FIBA World Cup African qualifying action.
Round 2 play in the African region tipped off on Friday as 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers action continued.
Friday’s slate featured solid NBA representation despite the African region being the only group to take the floor. Some of the NBA notables who represented their respective nations include: Jonathan Kuminga (Congo DR), Josh Okogie (Nigeria), Chimezie Metu (Nigeria), Bruno Fernando (Angola), and Ishmail Wainright (Uganda).
Here are the standout performances from Friday:
Cote d’Ivoire 78, Nigeria 66
Suns guard Josh Okogie (23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals) and Kings big man Chimezie Metu (20 points, 11 rebounds) both posted double-doubles in Nigeria’s Friday loss. Metu sank a free throw to cut Cote d’Ivoire’s lead to six with just under two minutes to go, but that was as close as the D’Tigers would get the rest of the way. Metu and Okogie will be back in action on Saturday when Nigeria takes on Guinea.
Cameroon 71, Congo DR 69
Congo DR narrowly fell to Cameroon despite Warriors youngster Jonathan Kuminga charting a game-high 18 points in his national team debut. Cameroon’s Charles Minlend Jr.’s putback layup with eight seconds remaining broke the tie and put the Lions ahead for good. Kuminga’s squad will look to bounce back on Saturday against South Sudan.
1st national team game for 🇨🇩 @JonathanKuming6 and he came with the block ⛔😤!#FIBAWC x @LeopardsBasket | #WinForRDC pic.twitter.com/5DW49jgoNe
— FIBA Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) August 26, 2022
Angola 84, Uganda 62
Rockets center Bruno Fernando and Suns forward Ishmail Wainright both racked up 16 points, but Fernando’s team came away with the convincing victory. Angola never trailed and led by as many as 32 points at one point in the contest. Uganda plays again on Saturday vs. Cote d’Ivoire. Angola faces Nigeria on Sunday.