DOHA (Qatar) - The second day of competition in the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2022 concluded with Korea, India, Iran, Australia, and the Philippines emerging as victors.

It was the first games of the event for Korea, Iran, and the Philippines and they immediately went to work for big wins. The defending champions Australia remain undefeated, while India bounced back for their first victory.

Results

Korea 89-59 Kazakhstan
Bahrain 41-80 India
Iran 66-37 Indonesia
Australia 104-27 Qatar
Philippines 82-45 Kuwait

Top Performances of Gameday 2

Mohammad Amini (IRI) - 30 EFF, 25 points, 15 rebounds, 4 steals, 10-14 FT shooting
Lokenndra Singh (IND) - 24 EFF, 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks
Rocco Zikarsky (AUS) - 23 EFF, 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocked shots
Austin Rapp (AUS) - 23 EFF, 10 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists
Kang TaeHyun (KOR) - 20 EFF, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
Jared Bahay (PHI) - 20 EFF, 12 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals
Jaideep Rathore (IND) - 19 EFF, 18 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals

Daily Recap

Korea started the day with a strong showing against Kazakhstan, winning the game, 89-59. While the first quarter was closely contested, Korea unleashed their full court press to hold Kazakhstan to only 3 second quarter points before cruising all the way for the win. Both teams had difficulty connecting on their shots consistently with Korea shooting 36.6 percent and Kazakhstan shooting 32.2 percent, but it was Korea that dominated the boards en route to the win.

Kang TaeHyun led the way for Korea, posting a team-high in efficiency (20) with 13 points and 8 rebounds.

The loss locked Kazakhstan up at third-place in Group D where they will wait for face the second-place team in Group C. Korea will play against New Zealand tomorrow to determine which team will end up in first place of the group.

India followed up with another big win of their own, 80-41, against Bahrain. The win comes of a loss to Australia in Gameday 1 and should be a big confidence booster for India after having 4 players score in double-digits.

Lokenndra Singh had an outstanding all-around game with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.

India are now 1-1 while Bahrain are 0-2 and facing the threat of elimination.

Iran also collected a win in today’s game by putting the defensive clamps on Indonesia for a 66-37 victory.

Indonesia scored only 3 points in the final quarter of the contest and were held to only 23 percent shooting from the field by Iran.

All players saw playing time and got on the scoreboard for Iran, but it was Mohammad Amini who had the biggest performance. The 1.99M (6’6”) shooting guard nearly outscored Indonesia all by himself with 25 points while also grabbing 15 rebounds to go with another 4 steals.

With the loss, Indonesia (0-2) will now finish in third-place of Group B and they will face the second-place team of Group A in the Qualifying Phase. Iran will play for the top spot in Group B against Lebanon.

In the next game, the defending champions, Australia, had no mercy as their blew by hosts Qatar, 104-27.

The Crocs took some time to heat up after leading by only 18-10 in the first quarter. They’d later explod for a 28-0 run that spanned through the second and third quarters of the game.

Seven players scored in double-digits which included 3 double-double performances by Australia. Early tournament sensation Rocco Zikarsky had another strong outing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots while Austin Rapp was just as impressive with 10 points, 14 boards, and 5 assists.

The last game of the day ended with the Philippines securing a 82-45 win.

The Philippines led from start to finish, with all players scoring in this game.  The leading scorer for the Philippines was Zain Mahmood who had 16 points, but also recorded 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. Jared Bahay was also outstanding, boasting a debut performance of 12 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals.

The loss locked Kuwait up at third-place in Group C where they will wait for face the second-place team in Group D. The Philippines will play against Japan tomorrow to determine which team will end up in first place of the group.

 FIBA