DAY 7 OF THE 2011 FIBA-ASIA MEN'S TOURNEY

Ibrahim Ahmad makes a beeline to the hole
against Malaysia.
(image from FIBAAsia.net)

After the Jump: Scores, commentary and images from Day 7 of the 2011 FIBA-Asia Men's Championships in Wuhan, China.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES over MALAYSIA, 89-87

UAE 89 - Al-Zaabi 21, Al-Hattawi 20, Ahmad 16, Salem 9, Al-Braiki 8, Abdalla 6, Banihammad 4, Al-Sari 3, Ahmed 2

MAS 87 - Chee 18, Loh 15, Lau 12, Soo 11, Batumalai 11, Ng 8, Kwaan 8, Wee 2, Kuek 2, Ooi 0

QS: 24-23, 37-38, 64-59, 89-87

- This was a tight one all throughout, but a 14-1 run to the end the 3rd frame enabled UAE to turn a deficit into enough of a cushion to hold off the Malaysians in the final period. Shee Fai Loh actually hit two straight threes in the final 30 seconds to cut a 7-point gap to just 1, but the Malaysians just weren't able to get over the hump. UAE played good defense, too, forcing 19 Malaysian turnovers while the Malaysians committed too many fouls, which resulted in 30 Emirate free throw attempts.

- Rashed Al-Zaabi led UAE with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He was supported by big man Ali Al-Hattawi's 20 points, 6 boards, 4 steals and 4 triples as well as 16 markers and 4 more treys from Ibrahim Ahmad. UAE's next game is against Syria to decide who gets the 9th & 10th places.

- Li Wei Chee was a tower of power for Malaysia, finishing with 18 points, 19 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Guga Batumalai had another all-around performance with 11 markers, 7 dimes and 5 boards, but he committed 4 turnovers. Shee Fai Loh, meanwhile, hit 3 triples to end up with 15 points. Malaysia battles Uzbekistan again for the 11th & 12th spots.

Li Wei Chee led Malaysia's stand against UAE with a
monster double-double.
(image from FIBAAsia.net)

Rashed Al-Zaabi soars for the deuce as UAE
moves on to the battle for 9th place.
(image from FIBAAsia.net)

SYRIA over UZBEKISTAN, 97-65

SYR 97 - Abboud 13, Al-Hamowi 12, Al-Saman 11, Georges 11, Nalbandian 9, Al-Khatib 9, Osfira 9, Lubus 8, Daks 8, Deeb 7, Kasaballi 0

UZB 65 - Kozlov 14, Nuraliev 13, Belokurov 11, Juginisov 7, Pereverzev 7, Zinonev 6, Denisov 5, Yahin 2, Timofev 0

QS: 11-21, 32-46, 47-70, 65-97

- A 9-0 run in the 1st quarter enabled Syria to get some separation that turned out to be enough to keep the Uzbeks at bay for the rest of the game. The Syrians never trailed on their way to win #3, thanks mainly to better rebounding, playmaking and outside shooting.

- Seldom-used Joseph Abboud turned out to be the scoring leader here, making all 13 of his points so far in the tournament. Eder Georges dominated again with a double-double statline of 11 markers and 12 rebounds while Abdulwahab Al-Hamowi scored a dozen in just 13 minutes. Syria plays for 9th place against UAE next.

- Aleksandr Kozlov returned from not playing in the previous game to lead Uzbekistan's losing effort with 14 points, but he hardly did anything else. The Uzbeks were pounded down low and weren't able to compensate with anything else as Syria kept up the pressure with every possession. The former Soviets now have a rematch with the Malaysians for 11th place.

Eder Georges anchored the Syrian effort
under the basket.
(image from FIBAAsia.net)

Gennadiy Zinovev goes up for the
one-hander against Syria.
(image from FIBAAsia.net)

Mahmoud Osfira tries to stuff it as Syria
beats Uzbekistan in the relegation round.
(image from FIBAAsia.net)

JORDAN over IRAN, 88-84

JOR 88 - Dahglas 23, Al-Khas 14, Wright 12, Al-Sous 12, Abbas 10, Zaghab 7, Soobzokov 4, Hussein 2, Abu Ruqayah 2, Abbaas 2

IRI 84 - Haddadi 27, Kamrani 14, Kazemi 13, Afagh 12, Sahakian 9, Bahrami 8, Davarpanah 1, Davoudi 0, Atashi 0

QS: 20-19, 35-36, 57-62, 88-84

- Unless someone upsets the Chinese in the next two days, then this will be seen as THE upset of the tournament. It's not that Jordan is a subpar team (they're a great team), but it's just that Iran has been so dominant in its first 6 games that nobody really thought they'd bow out of the championship in this fashion. Iran let Jordan stick too close for too long and they paid for it at the end as the breaks went the way of coach Tab Baldwin's boys. Curiously, Jordan turned to its reserves to spark the endgame run as old-as-time veteran Zaid Al-Khas, sniper Wesam Al-Sous, and the wily Enver Soobzokov hit big shots that kept the Iranians at bay.

- Sam Dahglas led Jordan with an incredible line of 23 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. His 6-of-8 shooting from the stripe helped seal the improbable win for the Jordanians, who return to the semifinals through the back door. Zaid Al-Khas and Wesam Al-Sous were big lifts off the bench, nailing 4 triples each to deflate the Iranian three-peat hopes. In the way of Jordan's plans are the Filipinos, who beat Taiwan in their own quarterfinals match.

- This is only Iran's first loss of the whole competition, but it's enough to propel them down the standings and relegate them to the battle for 5th-8th places. Coach Veselin Matic opted to use a tight 9-man rotation here, with Samad Nikkhah Bahrami used only in the 2nd half. Hamed Haddadi and Arsalan Kazemi both had double-doubles, combining for 40 points, 30 rebounds and 4 blocks. Their performance wasn't enough to quell Jordan's stellar uprising, though. The Iranians missed some key shots late in the game and were just outplayed in crunch time by the hungrier Jordanians. Iran arranges a rematch with Taiwan next.

Hamed Haddadi is a picture of disappointment as the Iranians'
previously immaculate run takes a bad turn.
(image from sports.163.com)

The Jordanians whoop it up as they upset the
two-time defending champions.
(image from sports.163.com)

As usual, Sam Dahglas was the difference-maker
in Jordan's unexpected win over Iran.
(image from sports.163.com)

SOUTH KOREA over JAPAN, 86-67

KOR 86 - Stevenson 17, Oh 15, Ha 14, Cho 13, Kim JS 11, Park 6, Lee 3, Yang HJ 3, Kang 2, Kim JK 2

JPN 67 - Takeuchi K 16, Matsui 10, Amino 10, Hirose 9, Shonaka 8, Sakurai 5, Takeuchi J 4, Kawamura 3, Ota 2, Takeda 0, Ishizaki 0, Kashiwagi 0

QS: 23-11, 45-26, 65-52, 86-67

- What was billed as the marquee match-up of the quarterfinals turned out to be a humdrum affair. The Koreans never trailed in this one and were never really threatened after uncorking an 8-0 run to help balloon a 17-11 advantage to a sizable 25-11 lead. Japan never recovered after that and the result was decided long before the final buzzer sounded. One cause for concern for the Koreans, however, is the status of star PG Yang Dong-Geun, who sat out the whole game. This could mean he's still injured from the last match with Iran, or he's being saved for their next match against China.

- The Koreans scorched the nets again from downtown, with Jarod Stevenson, Cho Sung-Min and Park Chan-Hee each hitting at least 2 treys. Stevenson led the way with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Coach Hur Jae's frontline did well, too, as Kim Joo-Sung, Ha Seung-Jin and Oh Se-Keun all combined for 40 markers, 18 boards and 12 dimes. Korea advances to the Final 4 against the heavily-favored home squad, China.

- Japan takes its 3rd straight defeat after starting the competition 4-0. The result is they face the Lebanese in the relegation games to decide 5th-8th spots. Hot shooting Takuya Kawamura was silenced here, finishing with just 3 points on 1-of-8 shooting. Kosuke Takeuchi led the fight for Japan with 16 markers, 13 boards and 2 rejections, but hardly anyone else figured prominently. Twin brother Joji played under 10 minutes as the rib injury he suffered against the Chinese continued to hound him.

Kim Joo-Sung and the Koreans blocked Japan's
path to the semifinals.
(image from sports.163.com)

Jarod Stevenson and Cho Sung-Min once again led the
Korean charge towards the Final Four.
(image from sports.163.com)

Takuya Kawamura winces in frustration as
Japan tumbles to a 3rd straight defeat.
(image from sports.163.com)

PHILIPPINES over TAIWAN, 95-78

PHL 95 - Douthit 37, De Ocampo 18, Lassiter 13, Casio 8, Alapag 8, Taulava 4, Tiu 4, Barroca 2, Williams 1, Lutz 0

TPE 78 - Tseng 20, Chen HA 14, Lu 12, Lin 10, Wu 9, Mao 6, Chang 3, Chien 2, Lee 2, Su 0

QS: 19-23, 45-42, 70-57, 95-78

- The dream is still alive for the Filipinos as they came back from another first half deficit to eliminate the Taiwanese from championship contention. Down by as many as 9 points in the 2nd frame, the Philippines, behind JV Casio and Ranidel De Ocampo, engineered a roaring comeback to snatch the lead at intermission. And as in previous games, the Pinoys were at their best in the 3rd period, using a 16-6 run to break the game open and cruise to the semifinals. The Filipino lead stood highest at 19 before the Taiwanese made their own run in the final canto to try and make things more exciting. Taiwanese PG Lee Hsueh-Lin was taken out after playing 18 minutes as he was bloodied after accidentally colliding heads with Casio.

- Marcus Douthit, nicknamed "Kuya" or "Big Brother", came through again with 37 points and 10 rebounds. De Ocampo and Marcio Lassiter ably supported him with a combined 31 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. As expected, the Filipinos dominated the inside scoring and surprisingly had a better percentage from three-point area as well. The Pinoys are set to face Jordan in the semifinals.

- Taiwan wasted a spirited start and waned in the 2nd half. Tseng Wen-Ting was solid down low with 20 points and 5 rebounds, but he fouled out mid-4th quarter. Chen Hsin-An contributed 14 markers, but most of those were in the first 20 minutes of play. Lin Chih-Chieh and Lu Cheng-Ju combined for 22 points and 5 triples, but they hit their shots when Taiwan was playing major catch-up already. They face the Iranians next and could fall as far as 8th depending on the results of the next two days.

Chen Hsin-An got it going early against the Philippines, but
was unable to sustain it the rest of the way.
(image from sports.163.com)

Marcus Douthit and Tseng Wen-Ting had a nice
battle upfront in the quarterfinal match.
(image from sports.163.com)

Kelly Williams helped the Pinoys barge into the
semifinals for the first time in 24 years.
(image from sports.163.com)

CHINA over LEBANON, 68-48

CHN 68 - Liu 13, Yi J 12, Wang 12, Zhang Z 8, Yi L 5, Sun 5, Su 4, Ding 3, Zhang B 3, Yu 3, Xirelijiang 0

LIB 48 - Hoskin 20, Reda 15, Tabet 5, Abdel Nour 4, Akl 4, Martinez 0, Stephan 0, Kanaan 0, Bawji 0, Ibrahim 0

QS: 14-12, 28-22, 51-32, 68-48

- For 20 minutes, it seemed like Lebanon would make a game of it, but the Chinese got really serious in the 2nd half and made minced meat of Lebanon's defense. China outrebounded Lebanon and played much better defense in the last 2 quarters, limiting the WABA powerhouse to just 28% shooting from the floor by the end of the match.

- Liu Wei led China's attack with 13 points while big men Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi each contributed a dozen in limited playing time. As expected, China goes through to the Final Four and faces EABA rival South Korea for a berth in the Championship game. China beat Korea in last year's Asian Games and they look to repeat as they continue their quest to return to the Olympics.

- Naturalized big man Sam Hoskin had another good showing here, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Ghaleb Reda also played well, earning 15 markers despite shooting just 6-of-21 from the field. Nobody else scored more than 5 points for the hapless Lebanese, who now go down to the relegation round against Japan.