FIBA Asia Cup Basketball 2005, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards (original) (raw)

MVP: Yao Ming (226-C-80) of China
Best Guard: Daoud Musa (193-G-82) of Qatar
Best Forward: Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79) of Lebanon
Best Center: Yao Ming (226-C-80) of China

1st Team
Yao Ming (226-C-80) of China
Joe Vogel (211-C-73) of Lebanon
Zhu Fangyu (200-F-83) of China
Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79) of Lebanon
Daoud Musa (193-G-82) of Qatar

2nd Team
Du Feng (203-C/F-81) of China
Yaseen Ismail (204-F-80) of Qatar
Choo Seung Gyun (190-F-74) of Korea
Ryota Sakurai (194-F-82) of Japan
Pouya Tajik (202-F/C-80) of Iran

Honorable Mention
Liu Wei (190-G-80) of China
Paul Khoury (207-C-68) of Lebanon
Moon Kyung Eun (190-F-74) of Korea
Sam Daghlas (197-G-79) of Jordan
Naser Bassam (198-G/F-76) of Jordan
Fayez Al Hajj (190-F/G-74) of Saudi Arabia
Vyacheslav Rosnovski (198-G-75) of Kazakhstan

China the champions of the Asian championship in its 23rd copy
China topped the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship here yesterday, beating Lebanon 77-61 in the final match. Though China’s triumph was a foregone conclusion, what really surprised the basketball fans here was the rise of Lebanon. Despite losing the final, Lebanon's stellar performance earned them a spot in the 2006 World Championships in Japan. The third spot for the World Championship was won by hosts Qatar who defeated South Korea in a place to decide the third and fourth places. China was once again served well by their NBA superstar Yao Ming scored 24 points to remain as the team’s top scorer. Li Nan chipped in with 18 points while Zhu Fanguy scored 13 points. For Lebanon, once again their US-based stars came up with superb displays. Fadi El Khatib top scored for Lebanon with 24 points while Joe Vogel was the next highest scorer with 18. After yesterday’s final match, Lebanon leapfrogged in the rankings to become one of the top 24 teams in the world. Lebanon had qualified to compete for the first time at the World Basketball Championships in 2002 when the tournament was held in Indianapolis on the United States. Their appearance in the 2006 edition in Japan would be their second in the world stage. The current top three ranked contenders for the World Basketball Championships are the United States of America, Yugoslavia and Argentina. Qatar National Olympic Committee vice-president Sehikh Jassem bin Thamer was the chief guest at the valedictory function. Qatar basketball Federation and Asian Basketball Confederation President Sheikh Saud bin Ali Al Thani was also present on the occasion. China’s head coach Jana Kazlauskas said he was happy that his team retained the title. “Obviously I am a happy man. Our superiority was never questioned and we reigned supreme throughout the tournament,” he said. He also praised the Lebanon team saying “The Lebanese too played well and undoubtedly they are the second best team in this championship. They defeated Qatar to reach the final and their only defeat is at our hands,” he said. Hosts Qatar made history by qualifying for the 2006 World Basketball Championship in Japan. They defeated 89-77 to finish third in the 23rd FIBA Asian Basketball Championship 2005 at the Gharaffa Sports Club here yesterday. The Asian crown was won yet again by China, who beat Lebanon in the final. The Asian Championship doubled up as a qualifying round for the 2006 World Championship, with top three teams guaranteed of a berth in the World Championship. This China, Lebanon and Qatar will represent Asia in the World Championship. Two-time Asian title winners South Korean failed to qualify for the World Championship for the first time since 1963. Qatar made a tentative start in the match against Koreans yesterday and were left trailing in the first-quarter by 12 points finishing 15-27. Bang Sung Yoon scored 9 points in the first 10 minutes of the game to give Korea a head start. But Qatar fought back in style, particularly in the second-quarter, when the hosts scored a quick-fire 12 points to catch up with Korea at 27-all. Yet they were in arrears as they trailed 41-49 at half-time. The hosts came back into the game strongly in the second-half with their ace Yaseen Ismail Musa scoring 8 points in the third-quarter, while K S Abdi scored valuable two three-pointers to take Qatar close to the Korean tally at 62-65. Last ten minutes of the game was dominated by the hosts as they controlled the game with some water-tight defensive tactics, restricting Korea to just 11 points while Qatar scored 27 valuable points to shut the door on the Koreans, winning 89-77.

“The players were disappointed when we lost to Lebanon in the semi-finals, but today was a new game altogether. We had to win to qualify and it was always tough to come back from a defeat. But my players showed great heart to get this results and I am happy,” said Qatar’s head coach Joseph Steibing.

"49 points in the first-half was a lot of points. We had to stop them from scoring later. We managed to get our defense strategies right. But at the same time our best shooters struck. My players responded in the most positive way to my calls" he added.
Korea’s head coach Chun Chang Jin was a disappointed man. "We failed to win berth in the World Championship in Japan next year, this is really disappointing for all of us,” he said.

HE Sheikh Saoud Bin Ali Al-Thani President of the Higher Organizing Committee of the championship and also the President of the Qatar and Asian basketball Federation honoured the winners with trophies and medals.

South Korea Should Be Selected as Wild Card - Sep. 17, 2005
South Korea, which finished fourth in the Asian Championship, should be invited to the 2006 FIBA World Championship as one of the four "wild card" teams FIBA will select in a November 26-27 meeting in Rome, Italy. So should the Dominican Republic, Algeria and the seventh place finisher in the European Championship. Oceania does not need another slot as both Australia and New Zealand, the only basketball powers in that region, are already in the tournament. I believe that the reason that FIBA set up its original criteria, listed below, was to ensure that the USA made the tournament even though it would not be using NBA players in the Americas regional. Also it was feared that many European NBA stars would not show up for the current European regional. So the criteria were based on marketing considerations rather than current basketball proficiency. But despite using a team composed of NBA Development League type players, the USA finished fourth in its region and qualified.

Despite earlier reports, almost all the European NBA stars are on their nation's roster for the European tournament, including Tony Parker of France and Dirk Nowitzki of Germany. So there is no longer any reason to use marketing criteria to select the teams to participate in the World Championship. Using marketing criteria is now highly unfair. The only solution is to select the four teams that just missed out being invited to the tournament based on entirely competitive reasons. But the real problem is that we are using a two-year cycle to determine world champions rather than a four-year cycle, as soccer uses. The solution is to go to a four-year cycle with either the FIBA World Championship or the Olympics selected as the tournament to choose a world champion. The other should become primarily a youth championship, as in soccer. I will discuss this further in the next day or two.

FIBA's Unfair Rules for Selection:
In order to be invited the team must have participated in the FIBA Zone Qualifying Championship
There can be a maximum of three teams from any one FIBA Zone
Together with the above two criteria, FIBA shall take into consideration the following aspects:

Sporting Aspects
- Popularity of basketball in the country
- Quality and sporting results of the national team of the country
- Quality of work of National Federation

Economic Aspects
- Involvement of local television and/or competitions in domestic and international basketball
- Importance of country to FIBA's marketing and television partners
- Importance of country to the Organizers of the World Championship

Lebanon & China offcially in Japan 2006 and meet today in the final - Sep. 16, 2005
Defending Champions of the previous edition of the Asian Basketball Championship China defeated South Korea 93-49 in the second semi-finals of the 23rd FIBA Asia Basketball Championship here yesterday. China was led by the NBA star Yao Ming who had an easy going with the baskets. Yao Ming was the top scorer for China with 27 points, while other top scorers were Du Feng who scored 14 and Zhu Fangyu added 12 to the total of 93 points. K J Sung waged a lone battle for South Korea, scoring 12 points. China will play Lebanon today at 8:45pm in the Gharaffa Sports Complex. Hosts Qatar disappoint the local supporters when they lost to reigning Lebanon 79-83 in the semi-finals match of the 23rd FIBA Asia Basketball Championship 2005 for Men at the Gharaffa Sports Complex here on Thursday. Hosts hopes to qualify for the World basketball Championship 2006 in Japan is still alive as they will play South Korea today (Friday) for the 3rd and 4th place. Top three teams from the ongoing competition will qualify for the big event next year. Qatar had defeated South Korea 83-65 in their second match of the second round. Qatar failed to continue with the winning-streak while they lost they let go their first and the most crucial match in the hands of Lebanon who will play against China today for Asian title. Qatar initiated with some their usual form and scored 22 points against Lebanon's 18 in the first-quarter. But the visitors geared up in the later 10 minutes of the first half and strengthen their defense to not let Qatar take many basket shots. Lebanon's R B Fahed scored the maximum 15 points, while J W Vogel joint the party with 12 vital points to take four points lead at the end of the first half 39-35. K S Abdi won the lone battle for Qatar scoring the maximum 11 points for his side. Hosts changed their tactics and grab some vital three-pointers to claim the third quarter 62-57. Both teams with evenly talented players were not letting any chance go begging but both had much of the concentration on their defenses which gave an easy chance for Lebanon's best shooters to grab as many three-pointers possible in the last 10 minutes. They finally broke Qatar's confidence once they went pass their score and then never let them come back. At the end the best team of the day Lebanon won with a marginal but crucial four points 83-79.

Qatar, China, South Korea and Lebanon in Asian championship semi-final - Sep. 15, 2005
Hosts Qatar, defending champions China, South Korea and Lebanon qualified for the semi-final rounds of the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship, winning their last quarter-final league matches here yesterday. Qatar topped Group I while China topped Group II with Korea finishing second in Group I and Lebanon taking the second spot in Group II.

In today’s semi-finals Qatar will play against Lebanon at 6.30pm at the Al Gharafa Sports Club while China will cross swords with arch-rivals South Korea in the second semi-final, starting at 8.45 at the same venue. The minor placings matches will start at 9.30 and will be played simultaneously at the Al Rayyan Club and the Al Gharafa Club.

Hosts Qatar defeated Jordan 81-55 at the Gharaffa Sports Complex here on Wednesday and confirmed their berth for the semi-finals against Lebanon in the 23rd FIBA Asia Basketball Championship for Men. Qatar with their third successive win in the round of eight, and sixth straight win in the competition, will lock horns in the semi-finals against the crowd favourite Lebanon who beat Japan 77-59 yesterday. Qatar proved beyond doubt that they do have the resources and caliber to outscore their Asian rivals and came sturdy to claim the first-quarter 14-8. Qatar never looked worried as they took possessions at every opportunity obtained. Qatar's ace Yaseen Ismail Musa, who rested after the first-quarter, could score only 4 points.

"We had plans to play him for just six minutes of the first-quarter, but he played for the full ten minutes of the quarter with all his potential, our aim was to give him rest for the semi-final match ahead," said Qatar National Coach Joseph Steibing.

Qatari Khalid Sliman Abdi scored the maximum 9 points for his side in the first-half, while Mohammad Saleem Abdulla and Daoud Mosa Daoud accounted valuable 9 and 7 points each.

Qatar continued their fine form in the second half with Malek Salem Abdulla scoring the maximum 13 points in the last 10 minutes to make it count an easy win for their side.

At the final whistle, Qatar's Daoud Mosa Daoud demonstrated a fluent game scoring the maximum 16 points, while Malek Salem Abdulla scored 13 points and Khalid Sliman Abdi scored 12 to the total of 81 against Jordan's 55. Issamorcos Beida, Musa Alawadi, and Mohammad Hadrab were the main scorers with 10 points each for Jordan.

Jordan had come here with a mission to help their young inexperienced players to gain some International exposure were pleased with the way their team played says Jordan's head coach Fredrick Oniga.

"Qatar was a tough team the way they have played so far in the competition is praiseworthy, we are here to enhance the performance of younger inexperienced side, we are focusing on the competitions ahead," said Coach Fredrick.

Japan who already qualifies for the 2006 World Championship was defeated by Lebanon who qualifies for the semi-final match today against hosts Qatar.

"We would have been better off playing Japan in the semi-final match as they are already qualified for the World Championship and this would have ease our task to qualify for the same, " said Qatar Coach Steibing.

"We need to continue the way we playing, we do have an enormous chance to take the championship and also to qualify for the World Championship in 2006," he added.

Qatari players seemed to be responding well with what they have been instructed by their coach.

"I am not satisfied with my performance, I am just doing what I have been asked to do by our coach, he knows the best he can get out of me and we've been successful so far," says one of the Qatari players.

Day 6 games details - Sep. 14, 2005

Qatar 83 South Korea 65
Qatar continued to show the majestic basketball game in the second round when they beat Korea 83-65 in the 23rd FIBA Asia Basketball Championship at the Gharaffa Sports Complex here yesterday. Hosts stays unbeaten in their five matches played in the competition so far, this was their second match win in the second round, Qatar defeated Iran 79-58 on Monday in their first game. Qatar with victory over Korea qualifies virtually for the semi-finals. Hosts had a tentative start as both sides were equal and right on the tasks, Koreans got along well with a game plan and struck some accountable three-pointers, in the first-quarter. In return, Qatar's tactful plans proved too handy and they pierced through the Koreans defence striking the maximum baskets, scored 23 points in the first-quarter against Korea's 19. Qatar strengthen their lead in the second-quarter with a difference of 10 points, flourishing rapidly to 41-31, ace Qatari basketball star Yaseen Ismail Musa scored 13 points with a three-pointer, three 2-pointers and four free-throws, he was well supported by Daoud Mosa Daoud with 11 points. The Qatari players showed amazing understanding and their game plan was to foil the Korean counter attacks. The Qataris succeeded in this as they fell back soon after losing possession and Korea found the going tough against a leak-proof Qatari defence. Qatar were right on the defensive mode in the third quarter blocking every Korean shot and at the same time striking the basket to every opportunity they gathered. Qatar played an attacking game in the later half, but at the same time they employed tight zonal defence, giving very little elbow room for the forwards to barge in and score. At the end of the third-quarter Qatar were at the driving seat with 66-46. Qatar came up with a pleasing display of attacking basketball as they led 83-65 at the final whistle. Qatar's hero for the day Daoud Mosa Daoud scoring 23 points while Yaseen Ismail Musa accounted for 22 valuable points. For Korea Moon Kyung Eun waged a lone battle, scoring 15 points. Qatar National coach Joseph Stiebing was convinced with the way his side played he said.

"We had a game plan and it did work, we wanted to stop Moon Kyung Eun from striking, he did score some but we managed to block most of his shots as planned," said Coach Steibing.

"Our aim is to make history, we are well prepared to win the title and create a history here, we will carry out and we certainly do have a chance ahead," added Steibing.

Koreans have a crucial match ahead against Iran to qualify for the top four says Korean National head coach Chun Chang Jin.

"Qatar was a powerful team, their players are very well built and they played exceptionally well, we have to look forward for our next match and its crucial for us if we need to qualify," said Chun Chang Jin

China 87 Lebanon 73 Hot favourites China quelled a spirited challenge from Lebanon, winning 87-73, in their second Group II match in the quarter-final phase of the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship at the Al Gharafa Sports Club here yesterday. With their second successive win in the round of eight, and fifth straight win in the tournament, China have virtually assured themselves of a semi-final berth. With China’s NBA superstar Yao Ming, heavily guarded by the tall Lebanese guards, one of them having experience of playing in the United States, China found themselves up a against a gritty opponent for the first time in the championship. But the Chinese proved beyond doubt that they do have the resources and calibre to outscore their Asian rivals as Du Peng (17 points) and Zhu Fangyu (17 points), along with Liu Wei 916 points) took over the responsibility for scoring. Yao Ming, who rested a few times, could score only 11 points. For Lebanon, who enjoyed the support of the crowd, Joe Vogel (24 points) was the top scorer.

Iran 79 Jordan 64
Iran, who lost their first match in the second round to Qatar, bounced back into contention for a semi-final berth when they defeated Jordan 79-64 in the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship at the Al Gharafa Sports Club here yesterday. Iran didn’t show any nerves of their loss to Qatar as they started theproceedings on an aggressive note. With M S Nikkah (19 points) and I Zandi (17 points) vying each otrher to score, the Iranians managed to stay ahead of Jordan always and they led 36-25 at half-time.Jordan’s main scorers were N Al Naser (14 points) and O Daghlas (12). For Jordan this was the second consecutive defeat in the quarter-finals and they are virtually out of the reckoning for a last four place. They now will have to play for the 5-8 placings. Iran play Korea in their last quarter-final league match today. Only a victory against Korea could help Iran’s cause.

Japan 89 Saudi Arabia 44
Japan, who bowed to defending champions China in their first quarter-final league victory, clawed their way back into the reckoning for a semi-final berth, when they trounced Saudi Arabia 89-44 in the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship at the Al Gharafa Sports Club here yesterday. The supremely athletic Japanese, who showed feline quick reflexes, mesmerized the Saudis with their dodging and passing. They were also a class above their rivals in shooting – be it three-pointers or from inside the ‘D’. Japan led 38-21 at half-time. But in the second half they were virtually unstoppable. R Sakuri (20 points) and S Ito (15 points) were the main scorers for Japan while for Saudi Arabia, K Falatah scored 11 points.

Day 5 games details - Sep. 12, 2005 - byMohammed Malas

Qatar 79 Iran 58

Hosts Qatar continued their winning run in the 23rd Asian basketball championship when they got the better of Iran 79-58 at the Al Gharafa Sports Club yesterday.

It was Qatar’s fourth straight win and the first one in the quarter-final phase. With the vociferous support of the home crowd, the Qatari players launhed themselves into the attack from the start. They gelled well into a fighting unit. With D M Daoud coming up with some superb baskets Qatar managed to enjoy the lead almost always and they led 37-30 at half-time. Daoud was the top scorer for Qatar with 17 points while Mohammed Abdulla scored 15 points and E A Saeed accounted for 14 valuable points. For Iran, P Tadjik waged a lone battle, scoring 14 points. The Qatari players showed remarkable understanding and their game plan was to foil the Iranian counter attacks. The Qataris succeeded in this as they fell back soon after losing possession and Iran found the going tough against a leak-proof Qatari defence. South Korea and Jordan are the other two teams in Group I for the quarter-final phase.

South Korea 64 Jordan 63

In a thrilling quarter-final league match of the 23rd Asian Men’s Basketball Championship, South Korea edged past a fighting Jordan 64-63 here yesterday. Both teams played an attacking game from the start, but at the same time they employed tight zonal defence, giving very little elbow room for the forwards to barge in and score. With both teams adopting tight defensive tactics it turned to be low-scoring match, but it was entertaining all the way. C S Gyun spearheaded Korea’s scoring with 19 points whileZ Alkhas (23 points) did the bulk of scoring for Jordan. South Korea are clubbed along with Qatar, Iran and Jordan in group I for the second round matches.

China 86 Japan 53
NBA team Houston Rockets’ centre and birthday boy Yao Ming scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to steer his national team, China, past Japan 86-53 in the 23rd Asian Men's Basketball Championships here yesterday. Yao, born on September 12, 1980, celebrated his 25th birthday in great style. Qatar Basketball Federation president Sheikh saud bin Ali Al Thani, who is also the president of the Asian Basketball Federation, presented the birthday gift to the NBA superstar. The Qatar Basketball Federation officials also gave presents to another Chinese team member Mo Ke, who celebrated his birthday on September 8. Yao was rested for brief spells in the first and third quarters, but his presence during the other time was enough for China to record their fourth consecutive win in the tournament and the first in the quarter-final phase. Jonas Kaslauskas, China's head coach, said he was satisfied with the Chinese performance for the first time in the event. "We played great defence in the game at least for 30 minutes out of 40s. I'm very happy with today's win," the Lithuanian coach said. "We came into today's game with different attitude. That's thereas on we got a beautiful win," said forward Zhu Fangyu, who had 11 points. After a 6-6 start, Yao scored six points to initiate a 10-0 run for China to lead the game for good. The three-time champion built up a 37-15 lead in the first half and the gap was extended to 30 points at the end of the third quarter. "China is a better defensive team and is more experienced than us," said Japan's head coach Zeljko Pavlicevic

Lebanon 97 Saudi Arabia 63
Lebanon scoreed an impessive 97-63 victory over Saudi Arabia in the last eight phase of the 23rd Asian Men’s Basketball Championship yesterday. Lebanon, grouped along with China and Japan, besides Saudi Arabia, came up with a pleasing display of attacking basketball as they led 55-36 at half-time. It was a poor day for Saudi Arabia. Their customary skill, flair and fluidity seemed to have deserted them as Lebanon reeled off points after points, sometimes effortlessly. P J Khour was Lebanon’s hero for the day, scoring 25 points. J W Vogel scored 12 points whiule A T Mahmoud and B A Feghali scored 10 points each. For Saudi Arabia, the main scorers were A E Fallata (14), K Falatah (13) and F Al Haji (12).

Day 4 games details - Sep. 12, 2005
Saudi Arabia - Kuwait 87-84

In a battle between two Arabian Gulf teams, a strong Saudi Arabia managed to quell a spirited challenge from Kuwait, winning 87-84 en route to the quarter-finals of the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship. The reasonably good turn out at the Al Gharafa Sports Club witnessed a keen tussle for supremacy as Saudi and Kuwait fought inch by inch and move by move. With A H Al Nasser (25 points) firing on all cylinders Saudi enjoyed a clear edge almost always, but the Kuwaitis were not prepared to throw in the towel as they tried to come back strongly with A Al Rabia leading their challenge with 20 points. However the Saudi team managed to keep the Kuwaitis under check in the dying minutes of the game and they trooped out winners by three points. While Saudi qualified for the quarter-finals, Kuwait will have to fight it out for minor placings. Saudi Arabia are grouped with China, Japan and Lebanon in the quarter-final round.

China - Uzbekistan 84-52
Reigning champions China downed Uzbekistan 84-52 for their third straight victory in Group B at the Asian Basketball Championships here yesterday. Despite the absence of main scorer and NBA superstar, Yao Ming, the Chinese team dominated their rivals from the start and led 44-20 at half-time. The Asian champions extended their lead to 31 points in the third quarter, with Wang Shipeng (top scorer with 17 points) nailing a three-pointer at the final buzzer to seal the victory in style for China. Having won all three games in Group B, China has now secured a place in the final eight of the tournament. China will take on Japan in a quarter-finals showdown today.
Jordan - India 74-47
India lost their second successive match in the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship when they went down to Jordan at the Al Gharafa Sports Club here. Jordan won the match 77-47. Joran’s 30-point lead at the end reflected on their strong defensive game. They restricted the Indians to just five points in the first quarter when they scored 13 points. In the second quarter Jordan enjoyed a 20-point lead and by the third quarter they increased the lead to 22 points. With yesterday’s win, Jordan qualified for the final eight round, where they are grouped with Korea, Iran and Qatar. For Jordan Naser Bassam was the top scorer with 19 points while for India Riyazuddin scored 15 points.

South Korea - Malaysia 87-58
South Korea stormed into the last eight of the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship with a big 87-58 victory over Malaysia at the Al Gharafa Sports Club here yesterday. It was Korea’s third straight win and they topped Group A after the first round. Malaysia lost all their matches in the first round and will figure in minor-placing matches from today. S J Hoonw as the Korea’s top scorer and was ably assisted by C S Gyun who also accounted for 13 points. For Malaysia, only F L H Won (12 points) and K Sathyaseelan (11) got into the double figures.

Iran - Chinese Teapei 65-57
Iran scored their second victory in the first round of the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship, defeating Chiense Taipei 65-57 at the Al Gharafa Sports Club here yesterday. Iran, who lost their first match to defending champions China, had beaten Uzbekistan earlier for their first win. With two wins, Iran managed to join the elite group in the quarter-final round. Iran are now clubbed with Korea, Qatar and Jordan in the quarter-final round. Iran enjoyed a 14-point lead in the first quarter and at half-time they had a lead of 21 points over Chinese Taipei. The Chinese Taipei team showed some fighting spirit in the last quarter and reduced the difference to 16 points in the third quarter and managed to narrow the gap to eight points in the end.

Lebanon - Hong Kong 109-53
In one of the most one-sided matches in the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship, Lebanon routed Hong Kong 109-53 and qualified for the round of eight at the Al Gharafa Sports Club here yesterday. Lebanon, fielding some their American based players, proved too good for a hapless Hong Kong team as they led 53-24 at half-time. The margin of Lebanon’s lead was almost double and as such there never was any doubt about the possible outcome of the match. The Lebanese coach used the opportunity to try out his bench strength and there were as many as five Lebanese players who got into the double figures. OmarTurk (28 points) and Ali Fakhredinne (23 points) were the top scorers for Lebanon. For Hong Kong L K Shing (11) points was the most successful player. Lebanon are grouped with China, Saudi Arabia and Japan in the second round which starts today. Lebanon play Saudi Arabia in their first second round match today.

Lebanon get big boost from loyal fans

Team Lebanon is stunned with an overwhelming crowd support during their first round matches in the 23rd FIBA Asia Basketball Championship at the Gharaffa Sports Club here. Lebanon has played exceptionally well in their three matches in the ongoing Asian Championship. They beat Jordan 69-59 (Thursday) in their opening match on Thursday, later they defeated India 105-79 on Saturday and wrapped in all-win record in the first round defeating Hong Kong 109-53 yesterday. Some of the credit for Lebanon's majestic march in to the quarter final round goes to their Doha supporters who have been right behind the team right from the word go. Lebanon's coach Paul Coughter said that they never expected such high level of crowd support in Doha. “This is unbelievable; it is almost a full house whenever we played. They were egging on us so far. Overall the crowd has been supporting the team playing better. This has certainly helped boosted the morale of our players,” said Paul. "I've been working hard on my players. The only minor worry I have is that they are yet to show a high level of consistency. Otherwise my players are skillful and they are working hard everyday," added Coughter. Coach Coughter is currently in his 25th season as an International basketball coach. He has travelled to more than 100 FIBA federations all over the world. While being the head coach of the Hung Kno Elephants in 1996-97 in Taiwan, and he repeated the feat in the next year also. Coughter, however, has been with the Lebanese Senior National team only for the last one month. Before taking up his assignment in Lebanon Coughter worked as a National Coach of 7 different countries and also coached several professionally teams in Scotland, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Australia, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Greece, South Africa and San Marino. He has successfully developed several training programs and also conducted workshops and clinics in more than 50 other countries. He is a member of FIBA's, World Coaches Association. Coughter and his team Lebanon have achieved their first goal in Doha – to qualify for the quarter-finals. Lebanon are grouped with defending champion China, Saudi Arabia, and Japan in the round of eight. Let us weight and watch whether Coughter's magic will take Lebanon further ahead or not.

Day 3 games details - Sep. 11, 2005
Jordan - Hong Kong 108-36
Jordan embarrass Hong Kong with a tripple score of 108-36 in their second match of Asian Basketball Championship underway in Doha on Saturday. Jordan national team dominated the first half completely to advance with a scary gap depending on their playmaker Sam Daghlas and the efforts of Moussa Al Awadi (190-G/F-85), Zeid Abbas and Mohammad Hamdan (201-F-84). Jordan national team will meet India in their third match on Sunday, in case they win they will pave their way to the second round. It is worth noting that Jordan team lost their opening match to Lebanon 59-69 on Thursday. Jordan trounced Hong Kong 108-36 ina Group D match of the 23rd Fiba Asian Basketball Championship at the Al Gharafa Sports Club here yesterday. In a match which was played around noon (starting time 11.45am), Jordan proved they were miles ahead of Hong Kong as they scored baskets after baskets. Sam Dahglas was Jordan’s top scorer with 23 points and was ably supported by Moussa Al Awadi (17 points) and Naser Bassam(14 points). It was the first win for Jordan who lost their opening match to Lebanon. Jordan will play India today.
Japan - Indonesia 97-57
Japan trounced Indonesia 97-57 for their second vicory in three matches in the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship at the Al Gharafa Sports Club here on Saturday. Japan, who lost their opening match to Qatar on Thursday, had bounced back on Friday to beat Kazakhstan and buoyed by that sucssess, the Japanese came up with a scintillating display against Indonesia yesterday in their Group C match. Japan were undoubtedly a much superior side tactically and strategically and their victory was a foregone conclusion. T Amino spearheaded the Japanese scoring with 23 points while T Tawamura and S Furuta had 23 points each.
Today will be rest day for Japan.
Kuwait - Malaysia 88-56
Gulf challengers Kuwait recovered from their first-match loss against Korea to post their first win in the 23rd Asian basketball Championship when they defeated Malaysia 88-56 in a Group A match at the Al Gharafa Club here yesterday. Kuwait enjoyed a clear superiority over Malaysia throughout the match. S Al Tabakh was the top scorer for Kuwait with 19 points and he got excellent support from M Al Rashidi who scored 18 points. For Malaysia S E Heng waged a lone battle, scoring 16 points. Malaysia had lost their first match to Saudi Arabia 51-79 on Friday.

South Korea - Saudi Arabia 102-58
South Korea, one of the teams to put up a stiff challenge to China’s domination in the 23rd Asian Baskettball Championship, raised the level of their game by a notch or two, compared to their previous matches, as they trounced Saudi Arabia 102- 58 ina Group A match here yesterday. For South Korea it was the second successive victory, after having beaten Kuwait in their first match. For Saudia it was their first loss in Group A, after their win over Malaysia. South Korea’s hero for the day was Yang Hee Seung (195-F-74) who scored 18 points. However, they had four others who touched the double figures – C S Gyun (14 points), M K Eun (15), Y H Seung (12) and H S Jin (10). For Saudi Arabia A Samater was the top scorer with 15 points.
Lebanon - India 105-79
Lebanon defeated India 105-79 fof their second successive victory in the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship here yesterday. Lebanon, who had beaten Joran on the opening day, came up with a pleasing display yesterday. The Lebanese took a vice-like grip on the proceedings soon after the start and they scored at will. The Lebanese were much superior to their Indian counterparts, both physically and tactically. Vogel top scored for Lebanon with 23 points whule Al Khatim chipped in with 21 points. For India, T Rai waged a lone battle with 29 points while Riazuddin scored 16 points. For Indis this was their first loss. They had beaten Hong Kong in their first match.

Qatar - Kazakhstan 86-60 Hosts Qatar clinch their third win in a row when they defeat Kazakhstan 86-60 in a Group ‘C’ match of the 23rd FIBA Asia Basketball Championship at the Gharaffa Indoor Hall here yesterday. Qatar team looked in splendid form right from the tip-off and went on to score at every possible opportunity. Qatar’s every move in the court did count. Kazakhstan who played exceptionally well in their last game against Japan were a little behind their potential yesterday, perhaps Qatar defense let them down every time they tried to score the basket. In the first half Qatar’s Daoud Mosa Daoud seemed a real threat for Kazakhstan who scored the maximum 14 points with three 3-pointers, two 2-pointers and a free throw, while Qatar’s basketball ace Yaseen Ismail Musa scored 12 points with five 2-pointers and two free-throws, Qatar ceased the first half with a reasonable 30 points difference 48-18. Vdovin Sergey scored the maximum four points for Kazakhstan in the first half. Qatar displayed a proper team work with proper coordination amongst their players, accurate passing and amazing tackling got them pass Kazakhstan’s defense quite easily. Qatar continued their better job later in the second half and scored 86-60 to win their third round game. At the final scores, Qatar’s Daoud Musa (193-G-82) scored maximum for his side with 19 points (three 3-pointers, four 2-pointers and two free-throws), Yaseen Ismail who did not play in the second half was the second highest scorer for team Qatar, this shows Yaseen’s his potential. Kazakhstan’s Rosnovskiy Vyacheslav scored the maximum 16 points for his side, while Shpeht Andrey and Ponomarev Anton scored 12 and 11 points each. The Qatar team is in fine form as was evident from their three victories – against Japan on Thursday, against Indonesia on Friday and against Kazakhstan yesterday (Saturday).

Day 2 Games - Sep 10, 2005 - byEurobasket
In the second day of the 23rd FIBA Asian Basketball Championship Iran, Korea, Japan, China, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia cataloged victories; matches were played at the two venues of Gharaffa and Rayyan Indoor Halls here yesterday.

Group A
Korea - Kuwait 85-80
Korea defeated Kuwait 85-80 in one of the most thrilling games yesterday, the two teams were neck to neck right from the beginning finishing the first half with Korea leading 41-36.
However the lead was maintained will the end with the same 5 points difference with Korea listing 85-50 victory.
Hyun Joo Yup was the highest scorer with 20 points for the winning Korea, while Abdullah N. Alsarraf scored the maximum for Kuwait with 22 points.
Korea and Kuwait played in their opening match yesterday and has still two matches to qualify in their group.

Saudi Arabia - Malaysia 79-51
Saudi Arabia beat Malaysia 79-51 straightforwardly, Fayez Al Haji scored the maximum of 21 points for Saudi Arabia, while Chai Chze Hian scored the maximum of 15 points for Malaysia.
Saudi team initiated well with 55-36 at the first half and went on to score in the later half to win the game with sufficient margin.
Saudi Arabia and Malaysia were playing in their first match of the competitions and are still left to give a lot in their remaining matches.

Group B
Iran - Uzbekistan 84-43
In the first playoff and perhaps one of the much one-sided game Iran outclassed Uzbekistan 84-43, Iran which was defeated by China in the opening match, appeared much pleasing yesterday to win the match quite influentially.
P. Tadjik was the top scorer for the wining side with 18 points, while Kuchin Sergey scored the maximum for Uzbekistan with 13 points.
Uzbekistan has lost both the matches so far and now are left with very less chances to qualify in the competition, however they still have a match to play against the defending champions tomorrow.

China - Taiwan 76-58

Reigning champions and hot favourites for the title, China scored their second successive victory in the 23rd Asian Basketball Championship when they defeated Chinese Taipei 76-58 at the Al Gharafa Sports Club here on Friday.
Normally the rivalry between teams from bordering countries are so strong and keen so much so that most of such sporting encounters often turn out to be battles where no quarters are asked nor given.
However, the match between China and Chinese Taipei turned out to be a one-sided affair for most part as the stars from mainland China proved too good for their opponents.
The Chinese played at half pace and even rested their NBA superstar Yao Ming half way through, yet ran out comfortable winners after leading 45-31 at half-time.
It was China’s second win. On the opening day on Thursday, they defeated Iran 76-61.
Yao Ming scored 15 points before he was rested by head coach Jonas Kauslauskas.
Other top scorers for China were Liu Wei (11 points) and Zhang Jinsong (12 points).
For Chinese Taipei Wu Tai-Hao emerged the top scorer with 10 points.
For Chinese Taipei it was their first loss in two matches. They had beaten Uzbekistan 111-71 on the opening day.
Both China and Chinese Taipei will have a rest day today (Saturday). On Sunday, China will take on Uzbekistan while Chinese Taipei will play Iran.

Group C

Japan - Kazakhstan 67-66
Japan did well to gain a victory with just one point ahead of Kazakhstan 67-66.
Japan were struggling to get pass their opponents defense and were left trailing in the first half by 5 points 29-34, however they managed to win the game with just one point difference and were certainly fortunate enough to finish things right in time.
Ryota Sakurai scored the maximum 14 points for Japan, while Rosnovskiy Vyacheslav scored the highest 22 points for Kazakhstan.
Japan lost to Qatar in their opening match has now some hopes to qualify in their group, while Kazakhstan has one victory under their belt against Indonesia in their opening match.

Qatar - Indonesia 89-62
Qatar thrashed Indonesia quite convincingly
Hosts Qatar makes it second in a row defeating Indonesia 89-62 in their second match of the 23rd FIBA Asian Basketball Championship at the Gharaffa Indoor Hall here yesterday.
Qatar was right on top from the beginning breaking the minnow's Indonesian defense to score the maximum.
Qatar's star Yaseen Ismail Musa scored the maximum 11 points in the first half, Yaseen who was in sheer pain following a nagging injury to his knee was being on and off the court most of the time.
Qatar played handsomely in the first half with 52-34 in their belt, Ali Turki Ali was the other top scorer with 10 points.
Qatar continued to play more positively and kept on attacking to score at every possible opportunity. While, the final scorers were 89-62 in which Erfan Ali Saeed was the highest scorer for his side's final tally with 15, followed by Ali Turki Ali with 14 and Yaseen Ismail with 12 points.
Qatar National coach Joseph Stiebing shuffled his players on regular basis giving much chance to his younger inexperienced side.
"We gave chance to our young side which would definitely mould them with the International standards and this will help me to pick our best side for the games ahead," said Joseph.
"It’s a tough game ahead where we are playing Kazakhstan who is certainly looking to win here to qualify in the competition, as they haven’t won yet. They played well in their second game against Japan and now they look more organized," he added.
Indonesia who has led with much of the younger inexperienced players are shaping their side to cope up with the International levels and for the games ahead says its head coach Rastafari Horongbala.
"We are in Qatar to bring out the best from our young players and are basically preparing them for the Asian competitions ahead, Qatar is a tough side they played well and has a very strong defense line its hard to break them," said Rastafari.

Day 1 Games - Sep 9, 2005
Group B
China - Iran 76-61
China begin campaign with victory over Iran
Defending champions China, led by NBA’s Houston Rockets star Yao Ming defeated Iran 76-61 in the opening match of the 23rd Asian Basketball Championships at the Al Gharafa Sports Club here yesterday.
Yao Ming scored 29 points, brought down 17 rebounds and had three blocks in the match. Iran deployed two men to mark Yao Ming from the start, but the Chinese superstar showed wonderful reflexes and dodging skill to get his Iranian markers into foul trouble. He forced 23 free-throws which is a true reflection of the tight defence Iran put up, mostly to bottle up Yao Ming.
The Chinese, however, had a slow start in the match as they struggled to find the way to stop the Iranians from scoring out of the ‘D’. They even trailed behind 11-12 early in the game.
But as the Iranians began to commit more fouls in their bid to restrict Yao Ming time and again to the line, the Chinese team gradually gained control and pulled away to lead 57-50 lead after the third period.
The fourth period was totally dominated by the Chinese as Yao Ming struck a purple patch. He was virtually unstoppable. He had a superb game, reaching both ends of the court as the situation demanded and led China to a comfortable 76-61 victory.
China will play Chinese Taipei in their next match today.
Taiwan - Uzbekistan 111-71Group C
Kazakhstan - Indonesia 89-62
Kazakhstan overpowered Indonesia with a convincing 89-62 victory.
Kazakhstan initiated well taking a healthy lead in the first quarter 33-16, Indonesia came back strongly in the second quarter and scored most 19 against Kazakhstan's 10 but failed to restrict Kazakhstan at 43-35.
Kazakhstan came back in the game in the third quarter and broke Indonesian defense scoring the maximum 31 points to strengthen the lead to 74-49.
In the final quarter both teams scored almost equal points but the best team Kazakhstan did enough to take away the match finishing 89-62.

Qatar - Japan 74-62
Qatar defeat Japan in the opening round
Hosts Qatar defeat Japan 74-62 in the opening round of the 23rd FIBA Asian Basketball Championship which started at the Gharaffa Indoor Hall here yesterday.
Qatar started well in the first quarter of the game, claiming a healthy lead while the first quarter ended 24-16.
Home team managed to maintain the lead in the first half as well with 41-29.
Visitors Japan made some aggressive moves in the later half but thanks to the remarkable blocking from Qatar which shattered visitors every move.
Qatar scored 20 points in the third quarter to strengthen their lead to 41 against 29.
Hosts did well to take the first game 74-62, which would help them with an early resilience in the contests.
Qatar's basketball star Yaseen Ismail Musa played exceptionally well to gain an early confidence for his side in the competition.
Yaseen who hadn't had much chance to practice at the court prior to the start of the competition due to his knee injury, made outstanding moves to score some healthy points.
Yaseen stayed away from the court for three weeks due to knee injury and is looking to give his best in the ongoing competition.
Yaseen is likely to miss in their next match against Indonesia if he is not fit says its coach Joseph Stiebing.
"We have to wait till the morning and if he is not fit for the match we might give him rest, but every match is crucial for us and to keep aside the best player is not what we expect," said Joseph.
Qatar will play Indonesia today in the same stadium at 6:30pm.

Group D India - Hong Kong 106-87

Lebanon - Jordan 69-59