CHANGSHA-HUNAN (2015 FIBA Asia Championship) - Kazakhstan's Pavel Ilin hit a three-pointer with eight seconds left to force overtime but Qatar then prevailed in the teams' FIBA Asia Championship opener, 79-75, after the extra period.

Clinton Johnson made a pair of free-throws early in the overtime to give Qatar a 73-71 lead and the side coached by Vasileios Fragkias stayed in front the rest of the way.

Kazakhstan led by as many as 12 points in the game but ended up enduring a tough defeat in a hard Group D.

Turning point: Kazakhstan were within striking distance in the overtime, down 75-72 with 1:59 remaining when Anton Ponomarev drew a foul and went to the charity stripe. He only cashed in on one of his two attempts and Johnson went to the other end and had a three-point lead for a five-point advantage.

Stats Don't Lie: Qatar finished with 26 points in the paint to just eight for Kazakhstan and their bench finished with 20 points to just 10 for the opponents.

Game Hero: Johnson was immense for Qatar, not only scoring 31 points and corralling 14 rebounds but making big plays when the game hung in the balance.

The Bottom Line: Kazakhstan lost a heartbreaker but showed some battling qualities in this contest which suggest they will be tough opposition for the battles ahead. For Qatar, a narrow win bodes well for their campaign.

FIBA