MIKAEL ZOUK (Lebanon) & JAKARTA (Indonesia) - Lebanon leaned on the brilliance of Jonathan Arledge to book their fifth win and close out Window 3 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers.

Topping Group C

Lebanon rolled out a convincing home win over Saudi Arabia, 90-60, to record win number 5 and finish atop Group C in the Asian Qualifiers.

Jonathan Arledge rebounded from a so-so debut for the Cedars by finishing with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 triples to lead Lebanon into the second round.

Saudi Arabia had a spirited start in this one. Things were actually tied up at 25-25 in the middle of the second period, but that was when Lebanon unloaded a 20-6 blast that blew the game open and gave them the lead for good.

Wael Arakji had 13 points and 4 assists to backstop Arledge's performance, while Karim Raphael Ezzedine added 10 points and 4 rebounds. Mathna Almarwani had 14 points for Saudi Arabia.

Bounce Back Strong

Over in Jakarta, Jordan bounced back from their previous loss to Lebanon with an emphatic 77-52 road win over hard-luck Indonesia.

The FIBA Asia Cup 2022 hosts started hot out of the gates in this match, scoring the game's first 8 points, but they could not sustain the momentum. The Falcons recovered to tie the game, and it was a nip-and-tuck affair till the second period, where Jordan wrested control for good.

Derrick Michael Xzavierro's 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks turned a lot of heads, but it was all for naught as Timnas Basket finished the first round winless in six games.

Three players scored in double-digits for the winners. Ahmad Al Dwairi, Yousef AbuWazaneh, and Sami Bzai each scored 11 points for Jordan, which finished with 4 wins and 2 losses. Al Dwairi also added 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block.

Lebanon, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia will join Group E in the next round together with New Zealand, the Philippines, and India.

FIBA