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| Kai Sotto and Batang Gilas bit off more than they could chew against Australia. |
New Zealand and Australia will have a rematch in the Final of the 2018 FIBA U18 Asia Championship in Nonthaburi, Thailand after they disposed of China and the Philippines respectively on Day 6's Semi-Final matches.
IRAN over KOREA, 89-81
Korea continued to reel from yesterday's loss to China, and their body language showed it today as they absorbed their second defeat in a row, this time against Iran. The Iranians had a strong start to the game, leading by double-figures after the first period, and though the game wavered back and forth, it was U18 Team Melli that proved tougher in the last stretch. Amirhossein Rezaeifar dropped 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots to lead the Iranians, while Lee HyunJung flirted with a triple-double line -- 24 points, 9 boards, 9 dimes, and 6 steals -- to pace Korea. |
| Amirhossein Rezaeifar slams one home for Iran. |
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| Cha MinSeok and the Koreans continue their descent. |
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| Mohammad Taghilou rises for a jumper against Korea. |
JAPAN over BAHRAIN, 92-85 (OT)
Japan trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half, but they put on quite a show from the fourth quarter and into the overtime. Keisei Tominaga, Yuki Kawamura, and Keijiro Mitani were the ones who conspired in Japan's amazing comeback effort, and it bore fruit as they will have a rematch against Iran for fifth place. Tominaga led the way with 33 points, 3 steals, and 5 triples, while Kawamura and Mitani added 17 and 22 points respectively. Mustafa Rashed had 29 points for Bahrain even as Karim Aboukuora had 17 points and 11 boards. |
| Keisei Tominaga was on fire as Japan made their comeback. |
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| Muzamil Hamoda rues their foiled chance to beat the Japanese. |
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| Seishin Yokochi goes up strong against Bahrain. |
NEW ZEALAND over CHINA, 87-82
In what was a pretty tight game through and through, it was the Junior Tall Blacks who survived and advance to the Final. Despite getting 0 points from their second unit, the Kiwis still prevailed mainly due to terrific playmaking and more efficient outside shooting. Flynn Cameron recorded a sublime triple-double to carry New Zealand -- 19 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds -- while Maxwell Darling erupted for 24 points. Kruz Perrott-Hunt also impressed with 21 markers and 8 boards. As for China, Guo Hawen and Michael Wang paired up for 47 points. |
| Flynn Cameron's triple-double was absolutely scintillating. |
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| Guo Haowen triies to drive through very heavy traffic. |
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| Maxwell Darling elevates and detonates for New Zealand. |
AUSTRALIA over PHILIPPINES, 77-43
This highly anticipated battle of unbeaten teams turned out to be a lopsided affair. The Aussies and Filipinos were toe-to-toe in the first period, but the Emus broke the game open in the second quarter thanks to their full-court pressure defense that forced Batang Gilas into numerous turnovers. By game's end, Australia had 14 steals and 10 points off the Filipinos' errors. From then on, the Emus were unchallenged as they marched their way into the Final, leading by as many as 41 points. Nearly every Australian player scored here, with Sam Froling's 12 points leading the way. On the other end, nobody scored more than 9 points for the Philippines. |
| AJ Edu and the Filipinos see their undefeated run come to an end. |
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| Jashua Gatbel and the Aussies proved to be too much against the Philippines. |
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| Tyler Robertson attacks the interior as the Emus move on to the Final. |
Day 5's Best Players:
Amirhossein Rezaeifar (IRI) - 27pts, 15rebs, 4blks - 37
Lee HyunJung (KOR) - 24pts, 9rebs, 9asts, 6stls - 34
Flynn Cameron (NZL) - 19pts, 12asts, 10rebs, 2stls - 30
Keisei Tominaga (JPN) - 33pts, 5rebs, 3stls, 5 triples - 29
Maxwell Darling (NZL) - 24pts, 7rebs, 3blks - 28
Final Day Pairings:
For 3rd Place - China v Philippines
For 1st Place - New Zealand v Australia
Images from FIBA.basketball.
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