Basketball action continued in the
2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea yesterday, with a couple of upsets
sprung. Kuwait buried Hong Kong to move up to 2-0, while the ballyhooed Indians
suffered a blow to their campaign after losing to Saudi Arabia. Mongolia and
Kazakhstan also got their second wins to bolster their chances of advancing.
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| Mohammad Al-Marwani of KSA drives into Amritpal Singh of India. |
Game recaps:
KUWAIT over HONG KONG, 81-65
Kuwait led most of the way here and
limited Hong Kong to just 9 points in the fourth quarter to come up with their
second victory in as many outings. Kuwait outrebounded Hong Kong, 43-36, and
shot better from the field (45% to 36%). Ahmad Al-Baloushi and Hussein
Al-Khabbaz each scored 15 points to lead the winners, while 6’8 Saleh Al-Brahim
added a dozen markers and 7 boards. Hong Kong drew 16 points and 4 triples from
shooter Lee Ki, but ace players Lo Yi Ting and Duncan Reid combined to shoot
just 5/18 from the floor.
KAZAKHSTAN over PALESTINE, 72-50
The Kazakhs pretty much toyed with
Palestine in this one and easily notched win #2. This result means the Kazakhs
have the inside track to top Group B and, quite possibly, join Iran and the
Philippines in the next round. Palestine was forced into committing 16
turnovers and shooting just 34% from the field. Not surprisingly, Sani Sakanini
was the lone bright spot for the losing side with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 2
blocked shots. On the other end, the victors were paced by Anatoliy Kolesnikov
and Pavel Ilin, who tallied 21 and 18 markers respectively. Anton Ponomarev
also did well for the Kazakhs, dropping a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double.
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| Anatoliy Kolesnikov has been big for Kazakhstan so far. |
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| Dmitriy Gavrilov tries to pound the ball inside against Palestine. |
MONGOLIA over MALDIVES, 112-54
Mongolia had a bit of a slow start
in this one, but it managed to right the ship and proceed to blow Maldives out.
The Mongolians lorded over the Maldivians on the boards, 44-37, while also
forcing FORTY turnovers behind 26 steals. Battur Ganbold, Odbayar Batdorj, and
Bilguun Battuvishin each scored 16 points for the winners, with Ganbold also
accounting for 4 steals. The Maldives, meanwhile, got a combined 24 markers
from Ibrahim Rashwaan and Mohamed Zilaal.
SAUDI ARABIA over INDIA, 73-67
Saudi Arabia caught fire at the
start and caught India in a stupor to pull off this big upset. Though they lost
the rebounding battle, the Saudis compensated by forcing 17 Indian turnovers
and limiting their foes to just 4/22 shooting from beyond the arc. The Saudis
were also more aggressive in attacking the basket, attempting 8 more free
throws than India (KSA was 18/24 and India was 11/16). Fahad Belal had 17
points to lead the Saudis to their first win, while Mohammad Al-Sager added 14
markers and 8 rebounds. Big man Mohammed Al-Marwani was a tower of strength
here, dropping 12 points, 13 boards, and 2 rejections. On the other end, India
was paced by the 19 points and 10 rebounds of Amritpal Singh, while Amjyot
Singh and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi contributed 19 and 10 markers respectively. Saudi
Arabia can formalize its entry to the next round if it beats Palestine today,
while India faces the tall task of having to defeat Kazakhstan to have a chance
of moving on.
All images are from the Asian Games/Nick Beddard.
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