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| China hoists the 2011 FIBA-Asia Championship trophy as they clinch the lone Asian spot at the 2012 London Olympics. (image from sports.163.com) |
After the Jump: Scores, commentary and images from Day 9 of the 2011 FIBA-Asia Men's Championships in Wuhan, China.
JAPAN over TAIWAN, 81-72
JPN 81 - Takeuchi K 16, Amino 14, Matsui 13, Shonaka 13, Takeda 9, Kawamura 9, Ishizaki 5, Ota 2, Sakurai 0, Hirose 0, Takeuchi J 0
TPE 72 - Lin 18, Tseng 17, Chang 14, Chen HA 7, Ho 7, Chen SN 5, Lu 4, Wu 0,
QS: 28-9, 47-36, 66-53, 81-72
- Japan had a hot 13-2 start to the game and never really gave Taiwan a chance the rest of the way. KJ Matsui, Takuya Kawamura and Takeki Shonaka each hit 3 triples to spark the balanced Japanese attack that left the Taiwanese playing catch-up for all 40 minutes. Taiwan was severely beaten on the glass, too, as Japan won the rebound battle with plenty to spare, 48-37.
- Kosuke Takeuchi grabbed a tournament-high 22 rebounds to go along with his 16 points as Japan notched 7th place in the competition, which is 2 places higher than their 9th place finish in 2009. Tomoo Amino backstopped Takeuchi with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting while young guns Matsui and Shonaka each contributed 13 markers.
- With this loss, Taiwan finishes 8th, its worst in the past few years, and goes home toting a 4-win, 5-loss slate. Lin Chih-Chieh led the Taiwanese with 18 points, but he shot just 6-of-16 from the floor. Tseng Wen-Ting finished with 17 markers, 7 boards, 3 dimes, 2 swipes and 2 rejections.
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| Lin Chih-Chieh and the Taiwanese tumble to 8th place in the 2011 FIBA-Asia tourney. (image from sports.163.com) |
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| Takeki Shonaka challenges a pull-up jumper from Taiwan's Jet Chang. (image from sports.163.com) |
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| Tseng Wen-Ting and Kosuke Takeuchi will see more of each other when the Japanese Basketball League starts. (image from sports.163.com) |
IRAN over LEBANON, 87-65
IRI 87 - Kamrani 18, Bahrami 18, Kazemi 17, Haddadi 13, Afagh 5, Davoudi 4, Davari 4, Sahakian 4, Davarpanah 2, Kardoust 2, Atashi 0, Sohrabnejad 0
LIB 65 - Hoskin 37, Ibrahim 11, Kanaan 6, Akl 4, Stephan 3, Reda 2, Tabet 2, Martinez 0, El Farkh 0, Bitar 0
QS: 15-17, 50-36, 69-55, 87-65
- The Lebanese held the fort for a quarter before a 14-0 run in the 2nd frame gave Iran a 10-point lead they wouldn't relinquish. Iran dominated in the paint and in transition, outscoring the Lebanese, 46-32, down low and on the break, 29-4. As expected, Iran also pumped in more rebounds and assists as they shot much better from the field, 49% to 36%.
- Mehdi Kamrani and Samad Nikkhah Bahrami led Iran with 18 points each. Kamrani quarterbacked pretty well, too, dishing out 6 assists with 2 steals. Arsalan Kazemi and Hamed Haddadi were pillars of strength inside for Iran, combining for 30 points and 24 rebounds. Kazemi also had 4 steals while shooting 7-of-10 from the floor. Iran finishes the competition with an 8-win, 1-loss card, but they fall to 5th place after two straight FIBA-Asia Championships. They have the Jordanians to thank for that.
- Sam Hoskin had his best game of the tournament, erupting for 37 points while grabbing 12 rebounds and getting 2 steals. He held his own against Haddadi, but hardly anyone else helped him in this fight. Mohamad Ibrahim was the only other Lebanese in double figures, finishing with 11 points, but he shot just 3-of-12 from the floor. Lebanon ends the tournament ranked 6th, its lowest in the past 10 years.
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| Aren Davoudi and the Iranians were just out of reach for Rodrigue Akl and the Lebanese. (image from sports.163.com) |
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| Hamed Haddadi and Sam Hoskin had a titanic tussle in the paint as Iran beat Lebanon. (image from sports.163.com) |
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| Samad Nikkhah Bahrami tries to drive through the defense of Ali Kanaan. (image from sports.163.com) |
SOUTH KOREA over PHILIPPINES, 70-68
KOR 70 - Cho 20, Kim JS 14, Oh 9, Kang 8, Stevenson 8, Kim JK 7, Lee 2, Kim YH 1, Yang HJ 1, Park 0
PHL 68 - Douthit 27, Alapag 17, Williams 9, Lutz 5, De Ocampo 3, Casio 2, Tiu 2, Baracael 2, Lassiter 1, Taulava 0
QS: 7-14, 17-24, 36-47, 70-68
- The Philippines had the game under wraps until Korea unloaded 20 points in the final 5 minutes to break the hearts of the Filipinos yet again. The crucial endgame reminded Filipino fans of the heart-wrenching 2002 Busan Asian Games semifinals where Korean sniper Lee Sang-Min hit a buzzer-beating three to send the Pinoys packing. This time it was Cho Sung-Min, Oh Se-Keun and Jarod Stevenson who found their touches in the clutch, eating up at the Filipino lead until there was nothing left. It was a squandered chance for coach Rajko Toroman's crew, who led practically the whole game, dictated the tempo, and played without having to go against Yang Dong-Geun and Ha Seung-Jin, both of whom sat out due to injuries.
- Cho hit majority of his 4 treys in those pivotal five minutes, where he nailed 12 of his 20 markers. Kim Joo-Sung fouled out mid-4th frame, but not after scoring 14 points, grabbing 9 rebounds and blocking 2 shots. Stevenson was just 3-of-12 the whole game and hit only one three, but it was the dagger that gave Korea the lead for good. He also had two key blocks on Filipino big man Marcus Douthit that helped seal the bronze medal, and a longshot at the Olympics, for coach Hur Jae's wards.
- Marcus Douthit had another beastly outing with 27 points and 22 rebounds, but he was bottled up when the going got tough down the stretch. Jimmy Alapag hit 17 markers thanks to 5 triples, but, alas, it was not enough. Just like in Busan, it was free throws that did the Filipinos in, with Kelly Williams and Marcio Lassiter missing key freebies inside the final minute. Despite the loss, however, this Top 4 finish is the best that the Philippines has done in 27 years, and it should give credence to the success and promise of the Smart-Gilas program.
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| Kelly Williams hangs his head low after the Philippines wasted an opportunity to clinch the bronze. (image from sports.163.com) |
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| The Koreans heave a sigh of relief as they heated up just in time to steal the win from the Filipinos. (image from sports.163.com) |
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| Jarod Stevenson lost the battle against Marcus Douthit, but he helped Korea win the war for third. (sports.163.com) |
CHINA over JORDAN, 70-69
CHN 70 - Yi J 25, Liu 13, Wang 10, Yi L 10, Ding 5, Sun 4, Zhu 3, Zhang B 0, Zhang Z 0, Yu 0
JOR 69 - Wright 26, Abbas 13, Dahglas 10, Al-Sous 7, Zaghab 4, Abbaas 4, Al-Khas 3, Abu Quora 2, Abu Ruqayah 0, Soobzokov 0,
QS: 16-15, 31-36, 59-56, 70-69
- An Ali Zaghab foul at the end doomed Jordan's Cinderella story. Yi Jianlian was fouled after grabbing a defensive rebound and split his charities, which proved to be enough as China scraped past a determined and wily Jordan five to clinch the lone guaranteed Asian spot in the 2012 London Olympics. China didn't look as dominant as it did for most of the tourney as Jordan kept the pace slow and picked their shots while confusing the Chinese with perpetually switching defense. But the Chinese were able to hit their shots when they needed to and just barely made the grade.
- Yi Jianlian proved he was the tournament MVP by pouring in 25 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking 6 shots for China. He was ably supported by Liu Wei, Yi Li and Wang Zhizhi, who finished with 13, 10 and 10 points respectively. Unlike their first meeting with this same Jordanian team, the Chinese failed to dominate, instead groping for form amidst a determined stand by the WABA powerhouse. China moves on and begins preparations for the 2012 Olympics, but, perhaps more importantly, they regain the FIBA-Asia title that has eluded them in the past 2 installments.
- Jordan clinches the silver medal and qualifies for the 2012 Olympics Wildcard Tournament together with bronze medalists South Korea. Rasheim Wright led Jordan with 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting while Zaid Abbas had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Abbas, however, fouled out in the fourth, leaving a gaping hole down low for coach Tab Baldwin's team. Sam Dahglas produced 10 points, 8 rebouds and 4 assists in the tight defeat.
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| Wang Zhizhi thumps his chest as the Chinese bag the tournament's biggest prize. (image from sports.163.com) |
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| Yi Jianlian was the tower of power down low for the mighty Chinese. (image from sports.163.com) |
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| Zaid Abbas and Ali Zaghab may have stopped Yi Jianlian here, but they failed to topple the Chinese in the championship game. (image from sports.163.com) |
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