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| Mark Barroca had a stellar showing against the Iranians. (image by basketball-tpe.org) |
SMART GILAS PILIPINAS over I.R. IRAN, 73-59
PHL 73 - Douthit 24, Barroca 13, Casio 11, Baracael 8, Aguilar 6, Tiu 4, Lassiter 3, Hontiveros 2, Taulava 2, Lutz 0,
IRN 59 - Haddadi 25, Kamrani 18, Davarpanah 7, Sohrabnejad 3, Kardoust 2, Veisi 2, Nabipoor 2, Davari 0, Sahakian 0, Davoudi 0,
QS: 17-12, 37-30, 54-38, 73-59
- We have to temper expectations after this win. It's still a landmark, resounding win, but it should NOT lull us into complacency. We have to keep in mind that Iran missed the services of THREE OF ITS TOP FIVE players -- Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, Hamed Afagh & Arsalan Kazemi.
- I like how we were aggressive though. If we sustain that level of energy then I think we have more than a fair shot of winning the Jones Cup and perhaps even the FIBA-Asia. But the prospect of playing for potentially 9 straight days might take a toll on the team. I hope they won't be over-exhausted by the time the competition is done.
- All in all, a good win for Team Pilipinas! Here's to hoping we can duplicate the result if (or when) we meet Iran in the FIBA-Asia. Go Pilipinas!
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| Japeth Aguilar showed grit & toughness against taller opponents. (image by taiwanhoops.wordpress.com) |
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| Hamed Haddadi scored 25 points in his first game with the Iranian nationals. (image by basketball-tpe.org) |
JORDAN over UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, 91-72
JOR 91 - Wright 15, Abbas 14, Zaghab 12, Abbaas 11, Abu Quora 8, Dahglas 7, Ruqayah 7, Al-Khas 6, Al-Faraj 4, Soobzokov 4, Hussein 3
UAE 72 - Al-Ameri 19, Al-Braiki 9, Ahmad 9, Al-Zaabi 9, Ahmed 9, Al-Nuaimi 7, Omar 4, Al-Hattawi 3, Salem 3, Abdalla 0, Al-Sari 0, Mubarak 0
QS: 18-14, 36-29, 67-50, 91-72
- Expectedly, Jordan beat UAE in convincing fashion. Credit should be given to UAE, however, for staying with Jordan in the 1st half, especially since this Jordan squad, sans some usual reserves, will be the main team in the coming FIBA-Asia.
- Naturalized player Rasheim Wright did the most damage here, and usual suspects Sam Dahglas and Zaid Al-Khas didn't even have to flex much muscle. The question is can they keep it up against the tougher foes ahead?
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| Rasheim Wright was unstoppable against UAE. (image by basketball-tpe.org) |
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| Ali Al-Hattawi and the UAE squad could only stay with the Jordanians for the first half. (image by basketball-tpe.org) |
SOUTH KOREA over MALAYSIA, 110-50
KOR 110 - Stevenson 17, Kang 17, Cho 16, Lee 11, Ha 10, Kim YH 8, Park 8, Yang HJ 7, Kim JK 4, Kim JS 4, Oh 4, Yang DG 3
MAS 50 - Chee 12, Ng 7, Ooi 7, Loh 5, Wee 5, Kwaan 4, Kuek 4, Chin 2, Soo 2, Ho 2, Ong 0, Batumalai 0
QS: 26-7, 53-9, 84-33, 110-50
- Nobody expected Malaysia to stay with Korea here. And Korea didn't disappoint, more than doubling Malaysia's total scoring output.
- Kor-Am Jarod Stevenson proved to be a tough and versatile customer, and he should continue giving headaches to the coming opposition. This Korean squad is lacking only a few key pieces, like Lee Sung-Jun and Lee Kyu-Sup, but the core of their FIBA-Asia team is present and will give a strong showing.
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| Oh Se-Keun didn't have to do much against the smaller Malaysians. (image by basketball-tpe.org) |
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| Cho Sung-Minwas 4-of-5 from three-point-land. (image by taiwanhoops.wordpress.com) |
TAIWAN over JAPAN, 99-72
TPE 99 - Creighton 18, Tseng 15, Lu 12, Su 10, Chen HA 8, Lin 8, Chang 8, Yang 7, Lee 4, Chien 4, Chen SH 3, Ho 2
JPN 72 - Matsui 13, Watanabe 12, Hinkley 11, Noguchi 7, Ito 7, Okada 5, Arao 5, Nishimura 4, Sakai 4, Togashi 2, Kamata 2, Hashimoto 0
QS: 21-13, 43-31, 76-54, 99-72
- Japan's Team B couldn't stay with the home team for more than one quarter. Tai-Am Doug Creighton made things difficult for the Japanese, and he should continue his strong play as the tournament goes on.
- Taiwan shouldn't be overconfident, though, since they beat one team from the "bottom tier" of the tournament. The real test will be against the stronger teams in the next few days. Save for Wu Tai-Hao, this Taiwan team is the one that will play in the FIBA-Asia. The only recognizable Taiwanese who reportedly won't join the team this year is star forward Tien Lei.
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| Tseng Wen-Ting was too much for Japan's frontliners. (image by taiwanhoops.wordpress.com) |
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| Lin Chi-Chieh seems to be saving his shooting for the other teams in the Jones Cup. (image by taiwanhoops.wordpress.com) |
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