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| China's loss first shocker for ongoing FIBA Asia 2013 tournament held in SM MoA Arena. Image: sports.yahoo.com |
Iran showed everyone that they were in it for the win by trampling on Malaysia during their respective first matches in the tournament. This isn't surprising, though, given that Iran is a two-time champion but the powerhouse team notably sends a signal to other competing teams that they are serious about their quest for the FIBA Asia championship.
Both Iran and Malaysia are going to face tough opponents in their next round of games wherein Iran will meet with South Korea, as Malaysia faces a tougher opponent in China. Both games will be held today, August 2, 2013.
Chinese Taipei (91) def. Jordan (87)
Contrary to the Iran-Malaysia game, this one was close and highly contested. Chinese Taipei staged a late charge in order to recover from a double-digit deficit it suffered at the third quarter. The Chinese team were still behind during the opening of the final period but their 14-3 run helped to steal the lead from Jordan. Both Jordan and Chinese Taipei are deemed as the toughest competition for the Philippines within Group A.
Qatar (95) def. Japan (94)
Jarvis Hayes, a former NBA player, helped to push Qatar past Japan during its debut at the FIBA Asia 2013 tournament in a close 95-94 win. Hayes had a slow start to his game though but heated up just in time to push his team to its first win. Despite trailing in the third quarter, Qatar forced a 12-2 run to eventually take the lead and never let go of the lead until the final buzzer.
South Korea (63) def. China (59)
So far in the FIBA Asia 2013 tournament, China's loss in its first game is the most shocking turnout. The suffocating defense played by South Korea helped to produce the first shocker in the tournament, which is also evidenced by the low scoring game. Today, South Korea will face Iran (which thrashed its opponent during their first meeting).
Bahrain (82) def. India (80)
In the first overtime game of the FIBA Asia tournmanent, Bahrain emerged victorious against India during Thursday's match at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Bahrain looked like they were not ready to play during regulation and were pretty sluggish, but Mohamed Kawaid led his team by chipping in 7 points to push them to overtime. Despite the 25-point effort from India's Narendel Grewal, India must seek out a win in today's game against Thailand to avoid the 0-2 slump during the first round of tournament.
Kazakhstan (81) def. Thailand (67)
In another lopsided match, Kazakhstan took their first win after beating Thailand during Thursday's match at the SM MoA Arena. Anton Ponomarev, forward for Kazakhstan, led his team with 21 points and 13 rebounds to secure the lead throughout the entire game. They closed out the first quarter with a bang by securing an 11-point lead with the lead extending up to 25 points at one point during the match. Thailand's Darunpong Apiromvilaichai is the sole player to reach double digits in scoring for his team.
Philippines (78) def. Saudi Arabia (66)
The Philippine national men's basketball team secured their first win in FIBA Asia 2013 by defeating Saudi Arabia in a 78-66 contest. However, this victory did not come in easy because there were plenty of struggles along the way. In fact, the Saudi Arabians closed out the first quarter with a 2-point lead although the host team took the lead at the half (with 7 points). Big men June Mar Fajardo and Marcus Douthit both provided the cushion for the team during the dying minutes to secure its first victory. Today, the Philippine team is set to met Jordan wherein the latter attempts to get their first win as Smart Gilas is looking to keep its record clean.
Check us back for updates on Day 2 results.
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