2014 Asian Games Basketball Roundup: Day Nine

Coach Chot Reyes goes under the microscope after an earlier-than-expected
exit in the 2014 Asian Games.
(image from Jumpball.co.kr)

The Filipinos won their game against Kazakhstan but lost out in the race for a semifinal seat in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. Gilas Pilipinas was firmly in-control of their match against the Kazakhs, but another late game collapse doomed their chances to advance. Meanwhile, Iran and Japan notched separate wins to secure the top two spots in Group G, while Korea’s win over Qatar towed the home team and Kazakhstan to the crossover semifinals.

Game recaps:

IRAN over CHINA, 75-67

Box Scores

Samad Nikkhah Bahrami returned to action in this game and led Iran to its fifth straight win and well into the next round of competition. Bahrami had 14 points to lead the charge for Team Melli, while Oshin Sahakian and Mahdi Kamrani backstopped him with a dozen markers each. Bahrami sizzled with 2 triples from downtown and also handed out 7 assists in a balanced effort. Iran utilized better perimeter shooting to offset their 14 turnovers. Hamed Afagh and Arman Zangeneh shot a combined 6/6 from long distance as the Iranians sent the Chinese to their second defeat in a row. Zhou Qi’s 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks were impressive, but they were all for naught as Gong Luming’s wards were eliminated from medal contention.

The Chinese leave the floor dejectedly after losing to Iran and bowing out of medal contention.
(image from sports.163.com)

Hamed Haddadi is engulfed in joy after beating the Chinese.
(image from sports.163.com)

PHILIPPINES over KAZAKHSTAN, 67-65

Box Scores

The Philippine team needed to win by 11 points to stay alive for semifinal contention, and, for the most part, they looked well on their way to doing that, especially after erecting a 50-32 lead late in the third period and carrying a 13-point advantage into the final frame. Like in its past games, however, Gilas Pilipinas lacked the punch in the late stages to get the job done. Though coach Chot Reyes’s wards ended up with their second win in the tourney, it felt more like a loss as they saw their lead shrink to single-digits. The hot shooting of Pavel Ilin and the all-around efforts of Anatoliy Kolesnikov and Dmitriy Gavrilov kept the Kazakhs in-step with Gilas in the fourth quarter. Ilin led the losing side with 21 points on the strength of 3 triples, while Kolesnikov and Gavrilov paired up for 27 points and 17 boards. Something strange also happened in the waning moments as Gilas tried to send the game into overtime by shooting in the opponent’s goal, but the referees nullified this shot. Kazakhstan also seemed to intentionally miss free throws to prevent the game from going into OT and, consequently, giving Gila sa chance to build another big lead. Embattled Marcus Douthit returned to action and registered 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 rejections, while Jimmy Alapag came off the bench to drop 11 markers.

Marcus Douthit bounced back nicely against the Kazakhs.
(image from Jumpball.co.kr)

Pavel Ilin picked an opportune time to catch fire for the Kazakhs.
(image from Jumpball.co.kr)

JAPAN over MONGOLIA, 96-70

Box Scores

Mongolia stuck around for the first ten minutes before coach Kenji Hasegawa’s boys proceeded with the demolition job the rest of the way. Japan grossly outrebounded Mongolia, 53-30, and shot 57% overall from the field to record this impressive blowout win. The Takeuchi twins, Joji and Kosuke, were just brilliant here, combining for 41 points, 20 rebounds, and 7 assists to lead the Nippon attack, while super sniper Kosuke Kanamaru connected from downtown 5 times to finish with 23 markers. As expected, Sanchir Tungalag paced Mongolia with 26 points and 6 rebounds.

Joji Takeuchi was dominant against Mongolia.
(image from the JBA)

Ryumo Ono goes up strong as Japan secures a semis berth.
(image from the JBA)

SOUTH KOREA over QATAR, 65-58

Box Scores

Korea had another shaky start but, like in their previous game, managed to survive and reel in the victory. Qatar started of strong and led at the half, 33-32, but the Koreans turned things around in the last two periods thanks to Kim Sun-Hyung, Oh Se-Keun, and Moon Tae-Jong. 6’10 Kim Jong-Kyu kept Korea within striking distance in the first half, where he scored 10 of his 12 points, while his teammates got to work in the last two periods. Kim Sun-Hyung had 13 points to lead Korea, while Oh and Moon scored 12 and 11 respectively. Coach Yoo Jae-Hak’s wards capitalized on Qatar’s 14 turnovers to make up for their ice-cold 3/16 shooting from downtown and their paltry 5 free throw attempts. Daoud Musa Daoud and Baker Mohammed paced the losing side with 16 and 11 markers respectively.