Sulaimon shines in J’Tigers defeat of Uganda

Azeez Sulaimon says he has to lead Nigeria’s J’Tigers from the front to seal their quarterfinal ticket at the ongoing FIBA U18 Afrobasket in Pretoria, South Africa.

The Nigerian captain led J’Tigers to a 71-61 victory over Uganda after posting 23 points, six rebounds and eight steals performance against the East Africans.

He was not alone in his heroic performance. Double doubles from teammates Ekpo Bassey (13 points and 13 rebounds) and Isaac Ezekiel (13 points and 13 rebounds) ensured the J’Tigers’ put themselves in a good position to get the ticket for the quarterfinals.

They eventually qualified as third in the group after Angola beat Egypt to seal second place behind their victim.

Mukisa Mubiru-Nkugwa’s 17 points and Brighton Galiwongo’s 16 points contributed to Uganda’s efforts.

The Ugandans made it an interesting game in the fourth quarter after they tried to overturn a 16-point lead (57-41).

Before the last quarter, Nigeria dominated the first half and the third quarter but was lax for a good part of the fourth.

“In the fourth quarter, we were all tired, so there were lapses here and there,” said Bassey. “I had a bad game the last time. So today, I had come out strong to help my team win.”