The Nigerian national basketball team, D'Tigers, have qualified for the 2009 Africa Cup of Nations in Libya, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

Secretary of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Francis Gbiri, said D'Tigers qualified for the competition on Wednesday.

According to him, Nigeria defeated Togo 76-41 to book one of the zone's tickets to the Cup of Nations, adding that the D'Tigers had earlier defeated Cote d'Ivoire 55- 45 in their opening match on Tuesday.

He said, D'Tigers, having won two matches, had automatically qualified but noted that the team would still meet Cote d'Ivoire and Togo in the second leg encounter of the qualifiers.

"I am not surprised at their performance because it's a product of hard work back home. The team underwent rigorous training and I think it is paying off as none of their counterparts could tame them," he said.

He attributed the success of the boys to the managerial skills and experiences of Ayo Bakare their coach.

He added that the decision by the board of the NBBF to engage Bakare was good as he had lifted the team from its poor performances in international competitions.

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2008)