DOHA (Qatar) & JENIN (Palestine) - Iraq rebounded for a win against a determined Kuwait squad, while UAE held on to keep Oman winless in the second day of action in the First Round of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers.

Demario Mayfield

It was another close game to the final buzzer for Iraq in Group B. However, they were able to hang on tight to the lead and come away with a rebound victory. Kuwait never led in the last three-quarters of the game, but closed in to a one-point deficit on many occasions to apply the pressure on their foes.

However, Iraq had a hero to step up in this game and that was Hassan Abdullah who played in all 40 minutes and torched the Kuwait defense for 22 points on 4 three-pointers. One of the long-range shots was  arguably the most important of the game for Iraq, coming just as Kuwait closed into one one-point with less than five minutes left in the final quarter.

Iraq also enjoyed good performances with 5 players scoring in double-digits from Karrar Hamzah (19 points), Mohammed Al-Khafaji (14 points), Ali Ismael (12 points, 11 rebounds), Demario Mayfield (15 points) and the aforementioned Abdullah, with all players shooting 53.1 percent from the floor.

Mayfield fooled around and almost got a triple once again, just coming short with only 8 rebounds and 14 assists.

Kuwait’s good effort came from good ball movement and it resulted in good scoring opportunities for the team. Alex Alghais took advantage of that in his national team debut to lead the team with 22 points, while also making some big baskets down the stretch.

Aside from Alghais, Kuwait received 16 points from Hamad Hasan and 17 points from Ahmad Albaloushi.

Iraq now have a 1-1 record at the end of their run in the First Round of the Pre-Qualifiers. Kuwait will be aiming to get one in the win column as well tomorrow when they play against hosts Palestine.

In Group A, it was UAE who recorded the win though Oman played well enough to keep their opponents on the tip of their toes throughout the game. UAE led for nearly the entire game and lost the lead to Oman only once to end up with a 74-65 win.

The one-two punch for UAE was the tandem of Qais Omar Alshabebi and Mohamed Albreiki. Big man Alshabebi led the team and tied the Pre-Qualifiers high with 27 points while also grabbing 8 rebounds. Meanwhile, the athletic wing Albreiki had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Mohamed Albreiki

Oman had a more balanced approach in their offense, with 10 players getting on the scoreboard and five players scoring at least 7 points, but they might have needed a bit more individual firepower in this game.

The defeat leaves Oman with a winless 0-2 record to close out the First Round of the Pre-Qualifiers. Meanwhile, UAE will head into their next game against host Qatar tomorrow with both teams coming off victories.

FIBA