2013 FIBA Asia U16 Championships Roundup: Day Two

The 2013 FIBA Asia U16 Championships in Tehran, Iran continued yesterday with China, Korea, and Japan cruising to separate victories, while the Philippines, Syria, and Malaysia had to scramble in the endgame to win their respective games.

Paul Desiderio helped lead the Philippines past a tough
Kazakh side.

In the first game of the day, China didn’t have trouble at all in disposing of Hong Kong, 100-48. Hu Jinqiu, Zhao Yanhao, and Xu Mingzhi each scored 15 points to lead China to its second win. Team captain Yuan Zhenliang, meanwhile, dropped 14 markers and hauled down 10 boards. On the other end, Hong Kong was paced by the 11 points of On Ka Chung, who also connected on 3 triples. China actually led by just 5 points after the first quarter, but the defending champs buckled down to blow the game open in the middle two periods. China hopes to sweep at the expense of Bahrain in its next game, while Hong Kong looks to bounce back against Syria.

The second game of the day featured Syria staving off the Bahrainis, 74-63. Ronaldo Shammas once again led Syria with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals, while Mohamad Hadri added 18 markers and 12 boards. Syria bounced back after losing to China on Day One, while Bahrain dropped its first game after beating Hong Kong. Mohamed Juma led the Bahrainis with his 31-point, 24-rebound, 5-block, and 4-steal stat-line.

The third game saw how Malaysia repulsed fellow SEABA team Thailand, 65-56. Tan Wei Jie and Foo Ting Jun paired up for 26 points to pace Malaysia, which also drew 8 points and 11 rebounds from Chang Zi Fueng. This is Malaysia’s first win of the tourney, while the Thais sank to their second defeat. Suthasin Boonkong and Attapong Leelaphiphatkul spearheaded the Thai charge with 13 and 11 markers respectively. Malaysia faces Korea next, while the Thais end their first round against the Iranians.

In the day’s fourth game, Japan debuted with aplomb, blasting Jordan, 87-57. The Japanese debuted some of their much-ballyhooed “recruits” (a pair of Africans, a pair of Chinese, and one Brazilian), with the duo of Rui Hachimura and Gen Hiraiwa leading the way. Hachimura had 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Hiraiwa dropped 18 markers and 16 boards. Hayato Maki also impressed with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jordan, for its part, enjoyed a dozen points each from Yazeed Hijazi and Khaled Abu Aboud. Abu Aboud also grabbed 13 rebounds in the losing effort. Jordan finishes the first round with a 1-1 record, while Japan takes on India next.

In game number five, Iran had problems containing the Koreans in the second half, and the WABA team fell, 78-92. Big man Han Seung-Hui led Korea with 24 points and 15 rebounds, while playmaker Kwon Hyeok-Joon registered 22 markers on the strength of three treys. It was a tight game in the first half, which finished with the tally knotted at 42, but coach Kim Do-Wan’s wards turned it up in the third period and never looked back. Ali Naziri had 21 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Iranians, who will square off against the lowly Thais next.

For the final match, the Filipinos had to buckle down in the clutch to scrape by Kazakhstan, 90-88. The SEABA champions dictated the tempo until the third period, where they allowed the Kazakhs to score 32 points. La Salle Greenie Michael Dela Cruz led the Pinoys with 19 points and 4 triples, while UP’s Paul Desiderio scored 16 markers and collared 7 boards. The smaller Filipinos struggled mightily against the taller Central Asians, with Richard Escoto the lone legitimate big man. Escoto finished with a 10-point, 19-rebound double-double. Leonid Voronushkin, meanwhile, hit 4 triples on his way to a game-high 28 points, while Ruslan Aitkali and Konstantin Neff each tallied 16 markers. Neff also added 16 boards to his total. Kazakhstan remains winless after two games and rests on the third day, while the Pinoys will go up against a very dangerous Taiwanese quintet.

BOX SCORES:

CHINA over HONG KONG, 100-48

CHN 100 – Hu 15, Zhao 15, Xu 15, Yuan 14, Zhang 9, Luo 9, Fu 7, Liu 6, Wang C 4, Shen 4, Wu 2, Wang Z 0

HKG 48 – On 11, Yang 9, An 9, Liu 9, Lo 6, Yau 2, Cheung 2, Chu H 0, Li 0, Chu F 0, Wong 0, Chan 0

QS: 22-17, 43-29, 78-37, 100-48

Wang Chengzu coasts to the basket.

On Ka Chung pops from long distance.

SYRIA over BAHRAIN ,74-63

SYR 74 – Shammas 19, Hadri 18, Al Kerawan 13, Khori 10, Egho 6, Balkes 2, Tarzikhan 2, Kurd 2, Al Majzob 2, Diab 0

BRN 63 – Juma 31, Ghazwan 10, Hasan 9, Baqer 8, Al Musalli 3, Shakeeb 2, Al Waddaei 0

QS: 19-8, 40-21, 56-44, 74-63

Mohamad Hadri lays it in.

Ali Baqer launches from deep.

MALAYSIA over THAILAND, 65-56

MAS 65 – Tan 14, Foo 12, Yek 8, Chang 8, Lim 7, Lau 7, Wong 4, Heng 2, Soong 2, Chong 1, Liew 0

THA 56 – Boonkong 13, Leelaphiphatkul 11, Makmeesiri 7, Auesatjapon 6, Jamkrajang 5, Charansarn 4, Nantho 4, Kupadit 3, Jakrawan 3, Numjan 0, Chumang 0

QS: 17-11, 34-25, 50-44, 65-56