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| Kai Sotto and Batang Gilas got off to a strong start at #FIBAU18Asia! |
The favorites to bag berths at the 2019 FIBA Basketball U19 World Cup all opened their accounts with big wins at the 2018 FIBA U18 Asia Championship in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
IRAN over INDONESIA, 80-50
Iran kicked things off with an 80-50 blowout win over Indonesia thanks to 16 points and 4 rebounds from Ali Kashani. U16 Standout Matin Aghajanpour also did well with 10 points and 5 boards. Indonesia, for its part, drew 12 points and 6 rebounds from Aldy Rachman. |
| Aldy Rachman had a good scoring game for Indonesia. |
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| Ali Kashani helped Iran get win #1. |
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| Eshagh Hatami goes up for the lay-up! |
KOREA over SYRIA, 130-66
Korea followed suit by walking all over Syria with a 130-66 victory. Star forward Lee HyunJung lived up to his top billing by scoring 24 points along with 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal. Korea led by 18 points after one quarter and never looked back. Syria was paced by Ammar Al Ghamian's 25-point, 11-rebound double-double. |
| Ammar Al Ghamian was the lone bright spot for Syria. |
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| Cha MinSeok goes up strong! |
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| Lee JunHyung with the emphatic rejection! |
JAPAN over KAZAKHSTAN, 88-40
Japan, which was missing star guard Chikara Tanaka, leaned on the hot shooting of Keisei Tominaga to devour Kazakhstan, 88-40. Tominaga had 23 points on the back of 4 three-pointers, while wingmen Ryuya Kaneda and Fumiya Iio combined to score 23 points in support. Viktor Verzun was Kazakhstan's best player here with 13 points and 6 boards. |
| Dmitriy Romanenko led Kazakhstan in scoring. |
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| Keisei Tominaga waxed hot for Japan. |
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| Shuki Nakata helped Japan past the Kazakhs. |
NEW ZEALAND over BAHRAIN, 94-62
Wanting to make a strong statement early on, New Zealand, for their part, absolutely dominated GBA Champions Bahrain, 94-62. Max de Geest led the Junior Tall Blacks with 19 points on 7/11 FG shooting, while Maxwell Darling turned heads with 9 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. Bahrain was paced by Ali Rashed's 11 points. |
| Ahmad Dindayneh slices and dices! |
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| Kruz Perrot-Hunt goes up and evades the D. |
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| Maxwell Darling slams it home with emphasis! |
AUSTRALIA over THAILAND, 119-44
Host Thailand ran into a brick wall on Day 1, losing to powerhouse Australia, 119-44. The Emus started strong, leading 28-9 after one quarter and continued to pound the home team till the final buzzer. Aiden Krause finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals to lead the Aussies, while Suphakit Thitikhunrat led the Thais with 9 points. Kyle Bowen, Callum Dalton, and Sam Froling each grabbed 11 rebounds to underscore the Emus' dominance in the paint. |
| Aaron Wadman keeping the ball away from Tamuri Wigness. |
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| Aiden Krause driving past Thailand. |
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| Sam Froling was solid for the Emus. |
CHINESE TAIPEI over INDIA, 83-80
Hands down the day's most exciting matchup was the one between Chinese Taipei and India in Group D. The Indians held sway for most of the game and seemed fully in control when they led by 13 points early in the fourth quarter, but the Taiwanese unleashed a searing 20-5 blast in a span of 4 minutes to snatch the lead and take the wind out of India's sails. Chen Fan Po-Yen was splendid for Taiwan with 17 points and 15 rebounds, while Princepal Singh tallied the same exact production for India. |
| Aravind Krishnan is a picture of frustration for India. |
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| Chen Fan Po-Yen was the hero for Taiwan. |
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| Jonah Morrison tests the defense of Princepal Singh. |
CHINA over UAE, 118-27
The penultimate game in Nonthaburi saw China outclass UAE, 118-27. The Chinese were grossly dominant all throughout, even blanking UAE, 27-0, in the third quarter, en route to the resounding triumph. US-based big man Michael Wang scored 24 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for the winners, who also got 12 points, 6 boards, and 6 dimes from Xu Jie. Hassan Hussein was the lone bright spot for the Emiratis with 10 points. |
| Guo Haowen helped China outclass hapless UAE. |
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| Hamid Albreiki finds the going tough against the Chinese. |
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| Michael Wang lived up to the hype for China. |
PHILIPPINES over LEBANON, 75-53
Much ballyhooed Philippines ended Day 1 with aplomb, outgunning a pesky Lebanese five, 75-53, in Group B action. The U18 Cedars stuck close to Batang Gilas for one half, trailing by 8 during the break, but the Filipinos outscored them 18-8 in the third canto to break the game open and cruise to the win. Fil-Nigerian AJ Edu carried the Philippines with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots, while hotshot Dave Ildefonso sizzled from long distance with 4 triples on his way to 19 points. Alex Zanbaka was the only Lebanese in double-figures with a dozen markers. |
| AJ Edu had an impressive double-double for the Philippines. |
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| Ameer Kasab and the Lebanese fall on Day 1. |
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| Dave Ildefonso caught fire to carry the Filipinos' offense. |
Day 1's Best Players:
Lee HyunJung (KOR) - 24pts, 9rebs, 5asts, 5 treysMichael Wang (CHN) - 24pts, 9rebs, 3asts
AJ Edu (PHI) - 17pts, 12rebs, 5blks
Xu Jie (CHN) - 12pts, 6rebs, 6asts, 2stls, 2blks
Ammar Al Ghamian (SYR) - 25pts, 11rebs, 2stls
Images from FIBA.basketball.
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