D’Tigers Win 2015 African Basketball Championship

Nigeria beat Angola 74-65 in the Final of AfroBasket 2015 in Rades, Tunisia on Sunday to claim their first-ever continental championship.

Shooting guard Chamberlain Oguchi was rewarded for his impressive tournament and a huge individual performance in the Final by receiving the Most Valuable Player award.

Oguchi was rewarded for his impressive tournament and huge individual performance in the Final by receiving the Most Valuable Player award, presented by Tissot.

The 29-year-old headlined the All-Star Five which also included his Nigeria team-mate Al-Farouq Aminu, Morais of Angola, Tunisia's Makram Ben Romdhane and Gorgui Dieng of Senegal.

"It's the best moment of my life, to be able to come here after missing the last AfroBasket, to be able to come here and do this with my brothers, it feels amazing," Oguchi (below)said afterwards.

"I'm happy to be able to share this moment with them and for me personally, it’s just really great."

The 29-year-old headlined the All-Star Five which also included his Nigeria teammate Al-Farouq Aminu, Carlos Morais of Angola, Tunisia's Makram Ben Romdhane and Gorgui Dieng of Senegal.

Angola went into the game looking to win a 12th African title, but some poor shooting boosted Nigeria's confidence as they led by as many as 19 points.

Paced by Oguchi and Olaseni Lawal, Will Voigt's team closed their campaign with a 6-1 mark, while the Angolans return home with a 5-2 record.

Despite a modest shooting night, Carlos Morais led the Angolans with 15 points, Yanick Moreira added 13 and Braulio Morais, who fouled out, contributed a dozen off the bench.

The Angolans jumped to an early 7-1 lead in the opening seven minutes of the game, but the Nigerians' team rotation made the difference as they turned the score around in the second quarter.

                                              Final standings of AfroBasket 2015:

1. Nigeria

2. Angola

3. Tunisia

4. Senegal

5. Egypt

6. Algeria

7. Mali

8. Gabon

9. Cameroon

10. Cape Verde

11. Mozambique

12. Cote d'Ivoire

13. Morocco

14. Central African Republic (CAF) 

15. Uganda

16. Zimbabwe