Speeding Bullets:
- With the exception of Qatar's Al Rayyan, which has yet to play, all the strong teams played well in the opening day. No upsets were sprung as the favorites generally romped through the field to get their respective first wins.
- The Gilas squad, in particular, presented a rousing debut led by twin towers Marcus Douthit and Japeth Aguilar. If Aguilar can continue this type of production, and the other locals can find their range more consistently, then the title might not be too far off.
- As expected, Mahram and Al Riyadi thrashed their respective opponents, and just gave more weight to the fact that they will be very strong contenders for the crown here.
- The imports that gave awesome performances were Mahram's Chris Williams and Al Shabab's Courtney Fields, both finishing with more than 30 markers.
- DonDon Hontieveros hit only 1-of-11 from the field against Al Ittihad, and he should improve on that if Gilas hopes to get past some of the tougher opposition ahead.
- Curiously enough, Zaid Abbas of ASU only played 10 minutes, and produced no points or rebounds. It'll be interesting to see how he responds to this considering he's one of the leading players in the Jordanian NT.
- Predictions for today: Duhok over Al Ittihad in a close one, Al Rayyan over Al Jala'a by about 10-15 points, Gilas over the KL Dragons by at least 20, and Mahram over Al Shabab by a mile -- a long mile.
Results:
ASU-Jordan over Duhok-Iraq, 74-66
ASU (JOR) 74 -- Watkins 25, Dahgles 15, Al Sous 10, Islam 7, Mohammad 6, Alhamarsheh 4, Alawadi 4, Forehan-Kelly 3, Abbas 0, Soobzokov 0
Duhok (IRQ) 66 -- Gray 16, Al-Doori 15, Hamad 10, Agha 9, Giles 6, Mahdi M. 4, Al Juboori 3, Al-Tameemi 3, Mahdi J. 0
Quarter scoring: 15-17, 41-33, 49-50, 74-66
 |
| Rahman Agha tries to contain Sam Dahgles (image from FIBAAsia.net) |
 |
| Earl Gray drives against Mousa Alawadi (image from FIBAAsia.net) |
 |
| Jameel Watkins shoots over CJ Giles (image from FIBAAsia.net) |
Mahram-Iran over Al Jala'a-Syria, 86-59
Mahram (IRN) 86 -- Williams 34, Cheikh 12, Nikkhah 10, Afagh 8, Sahakian 6, Atashi 4, Davari 4, Kamrani 4, Kardoost 2, Rouzbahani 2, Nezafat 0, Davoudichegani 0
Al Jala'a (SYR) 59 -- Walker 16, Miller 14, Haj Ishak 7, Deeb 6, Yaqqub 4, Gorges 4, Papazian 3, Madanly 3, Yakoub 2, Merjaneh 0
Quarter scoring: 21-17, 47-29, 71-44, 86-59
 |
| Marcel Yaqqub goes up for the deuce(image from FIBAAsia.net) |
 |
| Mahram's Chirs Williams was almost immaculate from the field(image from FIBAAsia.net) |
 |
| Osina Sahakian loses the leather against Samaki Walker(image from FIBAAsia.net) |
Smart-Gilas-Phl over Al Ittihad-KSA, 101-69
Smart-Gilas (Phl) 101 -- Aguilar 20, Douthit 18, Lassiter 15, Casio 11, Baracael 9, Barroca 8, Tiu 7, Ababou 6, Lutz 5, Hontiveros 2, Taulava 0, Ballesteros 0
Al Ittihad (KSA) 69 -- Dragajlovic 18, Almaghrabi 9, Keely 8, Alhosawi 7, Alqonisi 7, Alshamrani 6, Kabe 5, Ibrahim 4, Alharbi 3, Alfallatah 2, Aljuhani 0,
Quarter scoring: 19-16, 45-31, 78-47, 101-69
 |
| One of Japeth Aguilar's many dunks!(image from FIBAAsia.net) |
 |
| Book it for Marcus Douthit!(image from FIBAAsia.net) |
 |
| Darren Keely shoots over Marcio Lassiter(image from FIBAAsia.net) |
Al Riyadi-Lebanon over Al Shabab-UAE, 109-90
Al Riyadi (LIB) 109 -- El Khatib 29, Abd El Nour 24, Ismail 17, Woods 8, Ibrahim 8, El Turk 6, Saoud 5, Kanaan 5, Pharis 3, Fakhreddine 2, Akl 2, Mahmoud 0
Al Shabab (UAE) 90 -- Courtney 39, Al Zaabi 14, Ahmed 10, Khalfan 9, Al Mehrezi 8, Al Hattawi 7, Haji 2, Abdulla 1, Al Balooshi 0, Ashoor 0,
Quarter scoring: 19-10, 46-33, 83-56, 109-90
 |
| Loren Woods tries to keep up with Courtney Fields (image from FIBAAsia.net) |
0 Comment