DAY 5 OF THE 2011 FIBA-ASIA U16 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Zhou Qi imposes his will on the overmatched
Lebanese frontline.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

After the JUMP, you'll find scores, commentary and photos from Day 5 of the 2011 FIBA-Asia U16 Championships in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

CHINA over LEBANON, 88-42

CHN 88 - Zhou 16, Yu 12, Yan 12, Zhao 10, Liu K 10, Guo 7, Luo 6, Liu B 6, Heng 4, Lai 3, Pan 2, Xu 0

LIB 42 - Salem 12, Al-Agha 10, Zeinoun 5, Hadidian 4, Abou Jaoude 4, El-Kaissi 3, Kabalan 2, Daaboul 2, Assaf 0, Wehbe 0, Kourjian 0

QS: 22-5, 54-20, 66-33, 88-42

- China limited some of Lebanon's big guns and cruised to an easy win to underscore its dominance in Nha Trang. The mighty Chinese used superior sniping and defense to put the clamps on Lebanon and move a game closer to a sweep of Group E.

- Zhou Qi led China anew with 16 points on top of 4 blocks and 3 steals while Zhao Wei, Yan Haoxin, Luo Kaiwen, Guo Xiaopeng and Liu Kaiqi each hit at 2 triples to repeatedly frustrate the Lebanese defense. Yu Dehao was also steady from the wings with 12 markers, 4 assists and 2 steals. China stakes their unbeaten record against the dangerous Koreans next.

- Jimmy Salem and big man Yaacoub Al-Agha combined for 22 points, but it wasn't nearly enough for Lebanon to put up any semblance of a fight. The West Asians shot just 27% from the floor and made just 1 three all game long. Lebanon's quarterfinals slot is still assured despite this loss as even an unlikely loss to the Taiwanese will not be enough to derail them.

Liu Bo gets an easy twinner underneath.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

Jimmy Salem hoists one over the Chinese wall.
(image by MIlad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

IRAQ over TAIWAN, 78-73

IRQ 78 - Hamzah 24, Mahdi 19, Ismael 14, Abdullhussein 7, Razzaq 6, Abdulqaer 3, Saeed 2, Sabri 2, Ali 1, Ahmed 0

TPE 73 - Pan 15, Yeh 13, Chen PL 12, Lee 11, Wu 5, Lu 5, Wang 4, Liu 3, Chen CJ 3, Huang CY 2

QS: 20-13, 34-29, 52-48, 67-67, 78-73 (OT)

- Taiwan gave a stiff challenge to the Iraqis, but they faltered in the end. Iraq proved steadier in the extra period and outlasted Taiwan to strengthen their bid for a quarterfinal slot in Group E.

- Iraq was led by its terrific triumvirate of Karrar Hamzah, Ismael Ismael and Farid Mahdi, who finished with 24, 14, and 19 points respectively. Hamzah and Mahdi each recorded 7 blocks, with Hamzah adding 3 triples to his tally. Iraq now totes a 2-win, 2-loss slate in round 2, but they'll still have to win over the Indians to advance outright to the Final 8.

- Taiwan remains winless in round 2 and they've all but been eliminated from title contention. This early, it's clear that the best they can do is 9th place. Lu Kuan-Shiuan had another anemic shooting game, making just 2 of his 15 attempts to finish with a paltry 5 points. Pan Siang-Ting led the way with 15 markers, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals.

Lee Kuan-Yi battles for the rebound.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

Karrar Hamzah drives straight to the hole.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

Ahmed Razzaq goes under the Taiwanese defense.
(image by MIlad Payami/FIBAasia.net)

SOUTH KOREA over INDIA, 76-68

KOR 76 - Heo 31, Kim GC 18, Park 9, Yun 6, Kim MK 6, Lee 3, Koh 3, Kim NH 0

IND 68 - Bhamara 41, Singh 13, Saminathan 4, Bhaupur 4, Sanjeev 4, Ludhiana 2, Atwal 0, Narender 0, Sohal 0

QS: 16-14, 31-34, 47-47, 76-68

- Korea outscored India 19-10 in the first 5 minutes of the 4th period to get enough separation and eventually cast aside the hard-fighting Indians. India actually shot better from the field thanks to their size, but the Koreans made good on 12 of their 33 attempts from rainbow country to effectively thwart coach JP Singh's upset hopes.

- Kim Gook-Chan and Heo Ho-On combined for 8 triples to lead the Korean charge. Gook-Chan ended up with 18 markers while Heo had a team-high 31 points. Coach Kang Yang-Hyun inserted Heo mainly in the second half when things weren't going their way, and the son of living legend Hur Jae proved to be the difference-maker. Korea remains undefeated, but that could change quickly as they face the mighty Chinese next.

- Satnam Singh Bhamara erupted for 41 big markers, but his herculean performance wasn't enough to pull the rug from under the steady Koreans. Satnam also recorded 5 blocks while shooting 55% from the floor. Ajay Singh was the only other Indian in double-digits with 13 points. India remains winless in round 2, but they can still advance if they manage to beat Iraq in their final Group E game.

Satnam Bhamara stood head-and-shoulder over
everyone else.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

Kim Gook-Chan tries to take it strong.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

Ajay SIngh and Park In-Tae meet in mid-air.
(Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

QATAR over VIETNAM, 69-66

QAT 69 - Abdelkawy 30, Saad 16, Dawoud 11, Al-Malki 5, Al-Ahbabi 4, Al-Abidi 3, Mohamed 0, Al-Ahmad 0, Al-Marri 0, Al-Tamimi 0

VIE 66 - Tran J 23, Nguyen DT 16, Nguyen VH 14, Nguyen X 4, Tran VN 4, Do 2, Dinh 2 Nguyen MT 1, Cao 0, Tran NT 0, Phan 0

QS: 13-14, 36-30, 47-41, 56-56, 69-66 (OT)

- In the second overtime match of the day, it was the home squad that found itself on the shorter end of the stick against the more athletic Qataris. Jason Tran led Vietnam and forced the extra 5 minutes at the end of regulation, but they just couldn't get over the hump.

- Mohamed Abdelkawy exploded with 30 points for coach Miroslav Dobrican's crew. He also recorded 10 blocks, 4 steals and 4 triples. Abdulrahman Saad followed him up with 16 points, 6 blocks, 4 assists and 3 steals while Mohammed Dawoud recorded 11 markers, 11 rejections, 7 dimes and 2 swipes. This win is Qatar's first in round 2, and another win tomorrow against Indonesia might still give them a chance to make the quarterfinals, but they'll need to win big.

- Vietnam loses its fourth straight match and it's only chance to advance is if it routs Saudi Arabia tomorrow, and if the Indons beat Qatar by a huge margin. Both scenarios aren't likely, however, and the Vietnamese could very well be on their way to the relegation round. Nevertheless, this was their best game so far, and the performances of Jason Tran, Thong Nguyen Duy, and Hung Nguyen Van were promising indeed. The trio ended up with 23, 16, and 14 markers respectively.

Thong Nguyen Duy takes it strong against Qatar.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

Mohammed Dawoud takes it to the heart of
the Vietnamese defense.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

Abdulrahman Saad splits the defense for a running floater.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

JAPAN over INDONESIA 77-46

JPN 77 - Shirato 21, Sugiura 13, Baba 12, Aoki 9, Shinkawa 6, Morikawa 5, Kaneko 3, Kakiuchi 2, Chikui 2, Yamamoto 2, Miyamoto 1, Yanagawa 1

INA 46 - Abraham 13, Fahdani 10, Istiadi 7, Kosasih 6, Indraprasto 5, Yogia 3, Purwoko 2, Sidabutar 0, Airawan 0, Setiawan 0, Ramadhan 0, Wongso 0

QS: 22-5, 54-20, 66-33, 88-42

- Indonesia couldn't muster enough strength from their win against Saudi Arabia against the stronger Japanese five. Japan pumped in 8 triples, had better ball movement, and played better defense to frustrate the Indons and continue unscathed in Group F.

- Taisei Shirato once again showed his scoring prowess by pouring in 21 points in barely 13 minutes of play. He shot 4 triples and made 3 steals to lead Japan. Yusei Sugiura and Yudai Baba combined for 25 points, 6 steals and 4 blocks to backstop Shirato's performance. This is Japan's fourth win in as many games, and their next one against the similarly undefeated Filipinos will determine who gets the top spot in Group F.

- Hans Abraham topped Indonesia with 13 markers on the strength of 3 triples. He also recorded 2 blocks, but he committed 6 turnovers. Muhammad Fahdani was the only other Indon in twin digits with 10 points on 5-of-7 FG shooting. Indonesia is virtually assured of a quarterfinals seat, unless they lose big time to Qatar.

Muhammad Fahdani takes the contact against
the tough Japanese.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

Yudai Baba gets an easy two against the Indons.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

Yusei Sugiura takes the reverse as Japan
overcomes Indonesia.
(image by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net)

PHILIPPINES over SAUDI ARABIA, 100-42

PHL 100 - Rivero 17, Heading 15, Diputado 14, Asilum 14, Ramos 9, Alejandro 8, Cani 8, Dalafu 8, Caracut 3, Javelosa 2, Go 2

KSA 42 - Sakar 11, Barnawi 9, Hansawi 7, Musallam 5, Al-Malalah 4, AL-Thalabi 3, Shubayli 2, Al-Khammas 1, Al-Hassan 0, Mobarki 0, Al-Mutairi 0, Al-Tamar 0

QS: 28-12, 53-27, 76-37, 100-42

- It was "steady as she goes" for the Philippines, as they dumped Saudi Arabia in round 2. The Filipino defense was the star of the show again, limiting Saudi to just 19% FG shooting and 0% from three-landia. They also forced 18 Saudi turnovers and rejected 26 Saudi shots.

- Rash Rivero led a balanced Pinoy attack with 17 points. Jordan Heading, Rev Diputado and Renzar Asilum backed him up with 15, 14, and 14 points respectively. Coach Olsen Racela's boys also showcased their outside shooting by converting on 11 of their 23 three-point shots. The Filipinos are assured of at least the 2nd spot in Group F, but a win against the Japanese next will give them the top shelf.

- Abdulaziz Sakar led Saudi with 11 points, but he shot just 3-of-14 from the floor. Raad Barnawi had 9 points, but he, too, shot poorly -- just 3-of-15. Despite this loss, Saudi still has the inside track to make the quarters over Qatar, and they can seal it with a win over Vietnam next.