berth, the D'Tigers will return to the drawing board.
Nigeria struggled for the better part of the game, which was the group's decider. They struggled with their shooting, converting 41.8 percent of their field goals and hitting 29.6 percent from beyond the arc.
The game, which was watched by the Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Aminu Ado Bayero, members of the royal house, Bayero Isa Sanusi and Bayero Ujudud Sanusi, as well as the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Engr Musa Kida, lived up to the hype.
D'Tigers were outrebounded 44-30 by an Ivorian club that was quite physical.
With 13 points, two steals, and five rebounds, Benjamin Emelogu led the squad in scoring.
Uzodinma Utomi scored 12 points, TK Edogi added 10 points, and Ibe Abuchi Agu of the Gombe Bulls contributed 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 5 points on defense.
Nigeria's quest for a quarter-final berth will take them to the third-placed team in Group D.
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Coach Mike Brown attributed the sad defeat to the squad's failure to play harder and together like a team that wanted to win.
“We didn't play together or hard, which is a recipe for disaster against a good team. You must offer credit to the Ivory Coast. They were physically strong and confident, and they stayed together throughout the game.”
He praised the Ivorians for their improved and harder play.
“They worked harder today than we did. They played smarter today than we did, and they won. Today's game was won by the best squad, in my opinion. You have to give Ivory Coast a lot of credit. They did a fantastic job.”
All hope for a medal finish is not lost, and Coach Brown is looking forward to seeing how the squad responds to this slight setback.
“It'll be interesting to see how our players react to the loss. We still have the possibility to go, and we'll see how it goes in the next game.”
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