Thailand flex experience, shoot down Mongolia to remain perfect
ULAANBATAAR (Mongolia) - Thailand banked on their experience, coming from behind to beat Mongolia to finish the first round of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers unbeaten still.
ULAANBATAAR (Mongolia) - Experience came into play as Thailand showed nerves of steel down the stretch to frustrate Mongolia, 109-105, to conclude the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers unbeaten, Monday night at the UG Arena.
Freddie Lish starred in the clutch, scoring 9 of their last 18 points -- all of which he made from beyond the arc -- to help restore order as his side fell behind by a solitary point after building an 86-76 lead with 6:41 remaining in the game.
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The veteran guard finished with 30 points on 8 3-pointers, on top of 5 rebounds and 5 assists as the Thais finished as Group D's best team with a 4-0 record.
But it definitely wasn't just Lish alone who delivered the come-from-behind victory for the Southeast Asian crew.
Moses Morgan was important as well with his 26 points, 4 boards, and 4 dimes, while Nakorn Jaisanuk fired 7 triples en route to 23 markers off the bench.
Morgan played a role in the Thais' third-quarter uprising, leading a 12-0 rally to take a 73-68 edge late in the said frame. He would go on to make his presence felt later once more by pushing their lead to 10 during the final period.
Jaisanuk, for his part, helped keep the home team at bay with his timely hits, none bigger than his wide-open corner trey off a Lish kick-out to cap off an 11-2 spurt for a 105-96 advantage with only 34 seconds left to play.
Significant contributions were also made by Teerawat Chanthachon and Nattakam Muangboon with 10 points apiece for Thailand, who once again found the mark from beyond the arc by drilling a total of 19 triples.
Coach Edu Torres' charges put to waste the noteworthy performance of Bilguun Battuvshin, who led Mongolia with 31 points, including 15 in the first quarter that saw the hosts construct a 31-20 lead. He also had 9 rebounds.
Sanchir Tungalag finished with 23 points, Anand Ariunbold produced 20 points, Enkhbaatar Onolbaatar added 11 markers for the Mongolians, who suffered their first loss after a blazing 3-0 start to the Pre-Qualifiers.
Both Thailand and Mongolia are part of the 12 teams that made it to the second round of the Pre-Qualifiers set to be played in February.
FIBA