CHENZHOU (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016) – Qatar’s Al Rayyan finally broke into the win column today after a 95-53 thrashing of India’s ONGC at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016 in Chenzhou, China.

Import Preston Knowles had his fingerprint all over this game, dominating on both ends to lead the Qatari outfit to their maiden win. He had a lot of help, too, as Hassan Mohamed, Mohamed Abdelkawy and Yehia Abdelhaleem all scored in double digits for the victory. Hassan had 17 points, while Abdelkawy and Abdelhaleem dropped 14 and 10 points respectively for coach Stergios Koufos, who is hoping this result will spark some momentum for his club. As for ONGC, the Indians’ woes continued despite the combined 35 points of national team members Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Amritpal Singh. No other Indian player scored more than 6 points.

Turning Point: India were able to stay within striking distance of Qatar for an entire quarter before coach Koufos’s wards turned up the heat in the second period. Al Rayyan outscored ONGC, 19-9, in that quarter to carry a commanding 17-point lead into the halftime break, and that was a lead they would never relinquish.

Stats Don't Lie: Al Rayyan just outclassed ONGC in nearly every category. The Qataris shot 45% from the field compared to just 29% for the Indians. Coach Koufos’s team also outrebounded ONGC, 55-37, and were better at ball distribution, recording 15 assists compared to only 8 for India.

Game Hero: Preston Knowles was once again the focal point of the offense for Al Rayyan. Knowles shot 14-of-24 from the floor, finsihing with a game-high 39 points. He also made his presence felt in other departments, grabbing 14 rebounds, handing out 5 assists and netting 2 steals for good measure.

The Bottom Line: ONGC’s lack of depth has really hurt them in their first two games, and things aren’t bound to get easier moving forward. The Indians are set to face Al Riyadi tomorrow before closing their group play against Pauian. Al Rayyan, meanwhile, will enjoy this triumph, but they also know they have to scramble tomorrow and be at their very best if they harbor any hopes of upsetting Iranian powerhouse Petrochimi.

FIBA