CAPE Verde used a 26-point fourth quarter to clip Nigeria, 79-71, in the 2023 Fiba World Cup African qualifiers on Friday at the Pavilhao Multiusos Acacias Rubras in Benguela, Angola.
Anderson Correia scored eight of his 15 points in the payoff period as Cape Verde finished the game on a 13-5 blast to steal what before then was a game that was too close to call.
He also grabbed seven rebounds and four assists off the bench to make up for his five turnovers, helping his side seize an early lead in Group A of the qualifiers.
Jeffrey Nunes Xavier shot 3-of-8 from beyond the arc for his 14 points and four rebounds; Joel Almeida got 14 points, seven boards, and two assists, and Ivan Almeida had 13 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two dimes.
It was a tough first game for Nigeria under stand-in coach Julius Nwosu who got 13 points each from Ike Diogu and Keith Omoerah.
Akhuetie scoreless
Ben Uzoh missed out on a triple-double with his 11 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, and four steals for D'Tigers.
Former UAAP MVP Bright Akhuetie only logged a minute and 39 seconds of play and went scoreless while hauling down a rebound in his Nigeria debut.
Nigeria plays again on Saturday, this time against Mali.
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