AMMAN (Jordan) & JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - The home teams continue to hold their ground in Group C of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers.

In the first game of the day in Group C, Saudi Arabia dominated Indonesia with a crushing 95-66 win that pleased the joyous crowd that packed the stands in Jeddah.

This was followed by an entertaining game between Jordan and Lebanon that lived up to the hype as the day’s marquee matchup. The Falcons handled their neighboring rivals and halted their win streak with a 74-63 victory.

No problem for Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia controlled the game early on with a 9-0 run in the first quarter to build up a lead that only continued to grow until the final buzzer.

Ali Alsanhani’s squad all got into the fun, with all 12 players getting on the scoreboard for Saudi Arabia. Their balanced attack resulted in 6 players scoring in double-digits, led by Mathna Almarwani who had 16 points.

The team was red hot from the field, shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 40.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Indonesia were less efficient in putting the ball in the basket, shooting only 39.4 percent from the field and merely 25.9 percent from the three-point line. Timnas had multiple players scoring in double-digits as well, with 4 in total scoring over 10 led by Lester Prosper who had 18 points.

Saudi Arabia now boasts a 2-1 record in Group C, putting themselves in a good position to overtake the top spot altogether should they be able to perform well in the upcoming matchup. They will face Lebanon in a second straight home game on February 27 at 19:15 GMT +3.

Living up to the hype

The rivalry between Jordan and Lebanon as two of the best teams in West Asia proved to be worth the anticipation, and it was the home team that emerged victorious with an outstanding performance in front of their fans.

Jordan started off on fire and jumped out to a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter, sending a signal to their opponents that they meant business. Lebanon, weren’t fazed and fought back to tie the game keep the game close at the halftime break.

However, Jordan were determined to get the win. They fed off the immense energy in the jam-packed stands, dealing big shot after big shot to frustrate Lebanon and hang on for the win. It was a physical game from start to finish, making it difficult for any of the teams to get the shots that they wanted with both teams shooting under 40 percent from the field.

It was the massive effort by Dar Tucker, who scored 29 points on 16 field goal attempts, that gave Jordan the advantage they needed in this close game. Tucker had not played in Window 1 of the Qualifiers, and everyone was quickly reminded how important he is to this team in this first game.

Though Tucker shouldered the load of the scoring, the stars of Jordan all pitched in with their contributions as well. Freddy Ibrahim wowed the crowd with a breakaway dunk early in the game and finished the game with 9 points to go with 11 rebounds. Ahmad Al Dwairi was huge,  literally and metaphorically, with his double-double effort of 11 points and 12 rebounds. Zaid Abbas also made sure that he was afterthought in his return from retirement, posting 11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, and 3 steals in the winning effort.

Lebanon balanced out their efforts with 9 players putting up points in this game, but it just wasn’t enough. Wael Arakji and Yousef Khayat chipped in 12 points apiece, while Ali Haidar put in 11 points of his own.

Jordan now have a more favorable matchup to look forward to in another home game on February 27 at 19:00 GMT +3 against Indonesia who remain winless.

FIBA