After building a 19-15 lead, the Nigerians watched Guyana respond with four unanswered points to level the scores at 19-19. With the contest finely balanced, Team Nigeria held their nerve and scored the decisive basket to secure a hard-fought one-point win at the SEC Centre.
Esosa Okundaye led the way for Nigeria with a game-high 9 points in the intense encounter. The victory provided a much-needed boost after earlier results in Group A.
Group Stage Context
Nigeria opened their campaign with a historic 21-17 win over the Cayman Islands — the country’s first-ever victory in Commonwealth Games 3x3 basketball. They subsequently suffered defeats to Australia (15-21), New Zealand (10-21) and Scotland (21-16).
The win over Guyana improved their standing in a competitive group that also includes hosts Scotland. Okundaye, who had earlier contributed strongly in the Cayman Islands match, once again proved decisive despite appearing to struggle with fatigue and a limp in the closing stages.
The result keeps Nigeria’s hopes alive as they continue their group-stage campaign in the fast-paced half-court format.