DAY 9 OF THE 2011 FIBA-ASIA U16 CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Chinese are kings of the U16
tournament again!

After the JUMP, you'll find scores, commentary and photos from Day 9 of the 2011 FIBA-Asia U16 Championships in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

*All images are by Milad Payami/FIBAAsia.net

7th-8th Place

INDONESIA over SAUDI ARABIA, 52-47

INA 52 - Fahdani 17, Sidabutar 10, Abraham 8, Kosasih 8, Indraprasto 5, Yogia 2, Ramadhan 2, Airawan 0, Setiawan 0, Purwoko 0

KSA 47 - Barnawi 17, Musallam 12, Hansawi 10, Al-Malalah 4, Al-Thalabi 4, Mobarki 0, Shubayli 0, Al-Tamar 0

QS: 11-14, 19-24, 32-34, 52-47

- Indonesia used an 11-3 run to start the fourth period and played keep-away the rest of the way to end the tournament on a winning note and repeat over the Saudis.

- Muhammad Fahdani shot a terrific 8-of-11 from the field to lead Indonesia with 17 points while Bastian Sidabutar stepped up to punch in 10 markers of his own. The Indons survived their own horrendous 29% FG shooting by moving the ball well and limiting KSA to an even worse percentage (26%).

- Raad Barnawi and Abdullah Musallam both played without rest in an effort to stave off the Indonesian challenge, and for three-fourths of the way KSA did just that. Their awful shooting, however, got the better of them and they lost out in the end. Barnawi and Musallam combined for 29 points to lead the Saudis' losing effort.

Taufik Ramadhan goes up for the one-hander.

Salen Hansawi and the Saudis collapse against
the spirited Indonesians.

Bastian Sidabutar grabs the rebound with authority
as the Indons end their campaign with a win.

5th-6th Place

IRAQ over LEBANON, 76-60

IRQ 76 - Razzaq 17, Hamzah 12, Mahdi 11, Sabri 9, Ismael 8, Abdullhussein 8, Abdulqaer 7, Saeed 2, Ahmed 2, Mohammed 0

LIB 70 - Salem 19, Al-Agha 9, Daaboul 8, Zeinoun 6, Abou Jaoude 6, Kabalan 5, El-Kaissi 3, Assaf 2, Hadidian 2, Wehbe 0, Kourjian 0

QS: 24-13, 34-30, 50-39, 76-60

- Iraq started strong and proved they wanted this win more than the Lebanese. The Iraqis hit their stride with 10 triples and defended well, forcing 21 Lebanese turnovers and getting 15 steals to salvage a strong 5th place finish.

- Ahmed Razzaq played all 40 minutes and made good on 4 of his 6 triple attempts. Karrar Hamzah managed 3 treys of his own to finish with 12 points while Farid Mahdi backed them up with 11 markers. Iraq's good showing in this tournament serves notice of this team's promise. Given a few years, they'll probably make an impact on the senior level, too.

- Jimmy Salem was the only bright spot on an otherwise dejected Lebanese quintet. Only Salem finished in double-figures with 19 points on 50% FG shooting. Usual reliables Ezzat El-Kaissi and Gerard Hadidian produced just 5 points total on 1-of-7 combined shooting in limited time on the floor.

Karrar Hamzah ended his tournament with a
triumphant 12-point effort.

Kyhan Saeed tries to steal a basket from
under the Lebanese D.

Jimmy Salem was the only Lebanese in double
figures in the tourney-ending defeat.

3rd-4th Place

JAPAN over PHILIPPINES, 94-81

JPN 94 - Kaneko 25, Sugiura 21, Baba 17, Shinkawa 16, Aoki 7, Shirato 6, Chikui 2, Miyamoto 0, Yamamoto 0

PHL 81 - Cani 16, Lao 16, Alejandro 14, Rivero 10, Diputado 10, Heading 7, Asilum 6, Ramos 2, Javelosa 0, Go 0, Dalafu 0, Caracut 0

QS: 11-16, 32-31, 62-42, 94-81

- Japan got some sweet revenge on the Philippines and salvaged the bronze medals along the way after outscoring the Pinoys, 51-26, in the two middle frames.

- Daiki Kaneko nailed 8 triples to end up with 25 points and he formed a potent inside-outside combo with big man Yusei Sugiura, who finished with 21 points and 3 blocks. Yudai Baba, who didn't see a second of action against China in the previous match, was fresh and furious against the undersized Filipino frontcourt, flirting with a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 8 blocks.

- Five guys scored in twin digits for the Filipinos, but they made their rally a little too late against a spirited and vindictive Japanese squad. Kyles Lao and Hubert Cani each scored 16 while Jay-J Alejandro poured in 14 points. Rash Rivero and Rev Diputado each tossed in 10 markers, but, collectively, the Philippine offense sputtered. Coach Racela's wards shot just 14% from beyond the arc and 60% fro the line to bow out of a podium finish after winning their first 6 matches.

Japan's Daiki Kaneko had the hot hand with
8 threes and 25 points.

Jay-J Alejandro and the Pinoys continued to
fade away in the final day in Nha Trang.

Yusei Sugiura stood tall against the
undersized Pinoys.

Championship

CHINA over SOUTH KOREA, 92-52

CHN 92 - Zhou 43, Yu 11, Heng 10, Yan 9, Guo 9, Zhao 6, Lai 2, Liu K 2, Xu 0, Luo 0, Pan 0, Liu B 0

KOR 52 - Heo 19, Lee 8, Kim GM 6, Kim GC 5, Shin 5, Park 3, Koh 2, Won 2, Kim MK 1, Kim Y 1, Kim NH 0, Yun 0

QS: 15-8, 40-23, 65-42, 92-52

- China started relatively slowly, but they picked up the pace in the second stanza and finished with a wallop to formalize what was apparent from early in the tournament -- that, by far, they were the best team in here. China repeats as the continent's U16 titleholders, but Korea will join them in next year's U17 world championships in Lithuania.

- Zhou Qi recorded the tournament's first triple double by unloading an amazing performance. The 7-footer scored 43 points on 16-of-26 shooting, grabbed 19 rebounds, and blocked 12 shots that ranks as one for the books. Yu Dehao and Heng Yifeng followed him up with 11 and 10 points each.

- Heo Ho-On continued to impress despite his diminutive stature by netting 19 points for Korea. He also grabbed 6 rebounds and had 3 steals while being the only one to finish in double-figures for the tournament's bridesmaids. With this loss, Korea retains its status as the continent's bridesmaids in this age group.