Australia, Cote d'Ivoire and Saudi Arabia crowned as conference champions of FIBA Esports Open II
MIES (Switzerland) - The first weekend of the FIBA Esports Open 2020 II concluded on Sunday as Australia, Cote d'Ivoire and Saudi Arabia all clinched their conference titles.
Australia finished second in the Group Phase of the Southeast Asia / Oceania Conference before sweeping the Philippines in the Grand Final, while Cote d'Ivoire were dominant in Africa and Saudi Arabia claimed six wins in total in the Middle East.
Middle East Conference
| Position | Team | Wins | Losses | Difference | Points |
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 6 | 1 | +50 | 13 |
| 2 | Lebanon | 1 | 6 | -50 | 8 |
Results: Lebanon 77-92 Saudi Arabia; Saudi Arabia 75-69 Lebanon; Lebanon 75-82 Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia continued in the same vein as they ended the opening day as they recorded three more wins to take the title in the Middle East with a 6-1 record.
They started with a 15-point success before Lebanon rallied in the final two contests and were able to stay within single figures, despite falling to two further defeats.
Maher Saigal (@Abu7GR) starred for Saudi Arabia and was named MVP of the Conference.
Southeast Asia / Oceania Conference
| Position | Team | Wins | Losses | Difference | Points |
| 1 | Philippines | 5 | 1 | +88 | 11 |
| 2 | Australia | 4 | 2 | +20 | 10 |
| 3 | Indonesia | 0 | 6 | -108 | 6 |
Results: Indonesia 49-54 Philippines; Australia 68-43 Indonesia; Philippines 76-45 Australia; (Grand Final G1) Philippines 54-62 Australia; (Grand Final G2) Australia 69-54 Philippines.
Philippines picked up from where they left off from the opening day as they recorded two more wins to top the Conference; edging out Indonesia by five before crushing Australia by an eye-catching 31 points.
However, it was a different affair when it came to the best-of-three Grand Final as Australia bounced back to seize the initiative with a 62-54 triumph in the opening game.
Australia then backed up that performance with a more convincing 69-54 success to claim their second conference title in as many tournaments having won the Oceania Conference back in June.
18-year-old Benjamin Klobas (@Waurk) took the MVP honors for Australia having posted back-to-back double-doubles in the Finals.
Team Australia are the Southeast Asia & Oceania Conference CHAMPIONS! 🏆
— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) November 15, 2020
Congratulations to our team on their amazing performance winning the title in two games of the Grand Final Series!@ankletv @waurk @squoogs @cameronn1503 @Coopr2x @vassallo#FIBAEsportsOpen @FIBA pic.twitter.com/vuhwiI6WI2
Africa Conference
| Position | Team | Wins | Losses | Difference | Points |
| 1 | Cote d'Ivoire | 7 | 0 | +189 | 14 |
| 2 | Gabon | 0 | 7 | -189 | 2 |
Results: Gabon 19-61 Cote d’Ivoire; Cote d’Ivoire 61-14 Gabon; Gabon 0-20 Cote d’Ivoire; Cote d’Ivoire 20-0 Gabon
Cote d'Ivoire were convincing winners in the first official game to take place in the Africa Conference as they brushed aside Gabon, 61-19 before following up with a 61-14 victory
Sedalo Bryan (@Bryan_demi_god) posted an impressive 29 points along with 5 assists in the second game on Sunday, and was rewarded with the MVP award.
The FIBA Esports Open 2020 II continues on 12-13 December with the hotly-contested Europe Conference, including a number of new participating nations.
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