Basketball action kicked off in the
2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea yesterday, with four teams gaining
significant ground in trying to qualify for the next round. There weren’t any
surprising results save for the big upset of Mongolia over fellow East Asian
side Hong Kong. In the other games, Kazakhstan and Kuwait routed their foes
even as rising power India continued flashing its impressive form.
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| Abdullah Al-Shammari rises in traffic as Kuwait blasted the Maldives. (image from Jumpball.co.kr) |
Game recaps:
MONGOLIA over HONG KONG, 86-77
Mongolia avenged its loss to Hong
Kong in the 2013 East Asian Games by turning to its two young stars, Sanchir
Tungalag and Bilguun Battuvishin. Tungalag led the way with 31 points and 13
rebounds, playing all but two minutes, while Battuvishin added 27 points, 7
boards, and 3 triples. This win puts the Mongolians one step closer to the next
round and might even push them to first place should they beat Kuwait and lowly
Maldives in their next games. It was a sorry result for the Hong Kongers, who
were hoping to build on their top ten finish in the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s
Championships. They now have to win their remaining two games to advance. They
shot better from the field, but they also got outrebounded and turned the ball
over 19 times. Duncan Reid led Hong Kong with 15 points, while Lo Yi Ting and
Chan Siu Wing each tallied 14 markers.
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| Bilguun Battuvishin goes up strong against Fong Shing Yee as the Mongolians thwarted Hong Kong. (image from the Asian Games) |
KAZAKHSTAN over SAUDI ARABIA, 89-59
Saudi Arabia started off well,
outscoring Kazakhstan in the first frame and keeping things tight till the
break, but the former Soviet territory turned on the jets in the second half
and blew the game open for their first win in the tourney. Half-Australian
Anatoliy Bose Kolesnikov made his debut for the Kazakh national team, scoring a
team-high 18 points to go along with 13 rebounds and 2 steals. Dimo Klimov also
did well, backstopping Kolesnikov with 17 markers and 8 boards. On the other
end, the Saudis were paced by Marzouq and Ayman Al-Muwallad, who scored 19 and
14 points respectively. Kazakhstan grossly outrebounded Saudi Arabia, 49-29,
and limited its foes to just 36% FG shooting.
KUWAIT over MALDIVES, 116-44
Kuwait wasted no time in disposing
of an undersized and overmatched Maldivian side. The Gulf nation led by 20 at
the end of one and proceeded to continue the romp. They were led by Abdullah
Al-Shammari’s 23 points, while Ahmad Al-Baloushi and Abdulaziz Mohmammad
dropped 14 and 13 markers respectively. Kuwait outclassed Maldives on the
boards, 49-24, and also shot 63% from the floor. Ibrahim Rashwaan and Mohamed
Zilaal tossed in a combined 28 points for the losing squad.
INDIA over PALESTINE, 89-49
Rising south Asian nation India
started its Asian Games campaign with aplomb, blasting Palestine for its first
win of the competition. Coach Scott Flemming’s wards shot 52% from the field,
including hitting 13 treys, which made up for losing the rebounding battle,
39-44. India played great D here, forcing 26 Palestinian turnovers on account
of 19 steals. Versatile 6’9 small forward Amjyot Singh was all over the place
here, dropping 25 points on 63% FG shooting. He also shot 2 triples and had 4
swipes. Backcourt partners Pratham Singh and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi each scored
11 points to backstop Amjyot, while CBA veteran Sani Sakanini paced the
Palestinians with 19 markers and 12 boards.
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