JAKARTA (Indonesia) - Australia hold off hosts Indonesia, while Jordan shrug off a sluggish start to get their second win.

The Boomers win clinched the top spot in Group A and a direct ticket to the Quarter-Finals for the defending champs, with Jordan ending up at 2nd and Indonesia at 3rd.

Jordan found themselves down by a big margin early on to Saudi Arabia, but eventually bounced back to build a lead big enough to win 74-64.

The lead was as big as 16 points at 19-6 in the first quarter for Saudi Arabia, who needed to win by at least 18 points to keep their hopes alive. Jordan woke from their slumber and built a lead as big as 20 points before coming away with the win.

Four players scored in double-digits for Jordan in this game led by the big men, Ahmad Al Dwairi (16 points) and Ahmad Alhamarsheh (15 points). The two also combined for 17 rebounds while shooting 11-16 from the floor.

Khalid Abdel Gabar has his best game yet in the Asia Cup for Saudi Arabia with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Mathna Almarwani also had a big game and had a double-double by halftime before finishing with 15 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and two steals.

Australia had a rough start in their game against the hosts and used their defense to pull through, 76-51.

Indonesia led at the end of the first quarter 16-11, feeding to the roars of the packed crowd at the Istora Senayan. However, the Boomers put on the clamps the rest of the way for yet another win in the competition. Timnas battled to keep the game within close enough range that Australia couldn’t relax, but the Boomers always had an answer for their runs.

Tyrese Proctor led the team in scoring once again with 14 points while also getting 4 assists and 2 steals. Meanwhile, four other players scored in double-digits including Thon Maker, Samson Froling, and Rhys Vague.

For Indonesia, it was once again Marques Bolden who scored 18 points for the home team while also getting 10 rebounds for another double-double.

Australia secure direct qualification to the Quarter-Finals with the win, while Jordan (2nd) and Indonesia (3rd) will play through the Qualification to Quarter-Finals round against the 3rd and 2nd placed teams in Group B, respectively.

Turning Points

The second quarter was pivotial as the bench started to show their strength for Jordan. The Falcons broke away with a 20-7 second interval and didn’t look back. Saudi Arabia found themselves the wrong end of an 11-2 run to start the quarter, highlighted by three-consecutive three-pointers from Alhamarsheh and Ashraf Alhendi.

via GIPHY

Indonesia started out the fourth quarter with a quick 4-0 run to cut Australia’s lead down to 11 points, which hyped up the crowd. However, their cheers were quickly silenced in the following play when Froling drilled in a three-pointer off some smooth ball rotation form the team.

via GIPHY

Game Heroes

Al Dwairi continues to be the stud for Jordan in Asia Cup 2022. Once again, he had another solid game from start to finish on both ends of the floor and would end up with his 3rd straight double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Aside from leading the Boomers in scoring, Tyrese Proctor provided big shots time and again when Indonesia made a run to chip away at the lead. The 18-year-old has been productive and he's also displayed the composure of a highly experienced player, too.

Stats Don’t Lie

As the Jordan starters came off to a slow start, the bench picked things up. More than half of Jordan’s points came off the bench with 43 in total, accounting for 58.1 percent.

They Said

“This is the first participation for Saudi Arabia in the FIBA Asia Cup since 2013, so we are 9 years away from playing in this competition. I think for this roster, we still have some young players so it will be very good experience for the next tournaments.” - Mohamed Mounir Youssef Elkerdany, Saudi Arabia Head Coach

“I think this game was two parts. One part was that we started the game so bad and we finished the game so bad, but in between we played really well.” - Wesam Alsous, Jordan Head Coach 

“I don’t think we’ve reached where we could be and where we want to be. I think we could be much better, so does everyone else on the team.” - Sami Bzai, Jordan 

“It wasn’t the result that we wanted against one of the best teams we’ve ever played against, but we showed heart and fought our best.” - Arki Wisnu, Indonesia

“We can lose nothing, we can just win whatever happen in that [next] game, we’re only one game away from the World Cup. That’s unbelievable.” - Milos Pejic, Indonesia Head Coach

“We knew from the start that it was goig toe be a great atmosphere… It was cool to play in front of a loud, active crowd.” - Mike Kelly, Australia Head Coach

“I love feeding off the energy of the crowd, whether they hate me or they love me and it turns out they love me here and I love them as well. That was exciting.” - Thon Maker, Australia

FIBA