ALMATY (Kazakhstan) – Palestine and Sri Lanka got off to a whirlwind in their FIBA Asia Cup 2029 Pre-Qualifiers in Wednesday’s opening day Group B action at Baluan Sholaq Sports Palace with both moving past their opponents with consummate ease showing early signs of progress to the Second Round.
Sri Lanka broke way midway through the opening quarter never to look back and rolled fellow SABA team Maldives 107-65, but Palestine needed a little longer to find their groove but didn’t cop a challenge cruising to a 110-69 win over Kyrgyzstan.
That both teams were fighting off early blues was evident.
Supun Athapaththu Mudiyanselage, scoring seven out of his 16 for the opening quarter during an 11-0 run, that saw Sri Lanka seize the driving seat. The 27-year-old went on to mark his debut in National Team competitions with a sparkling 39-point game, coming at a staggering 14/17 in field attempts including a 7/7 from close range.
Kande Dasun Nilantha Mendis and Praneeth Udumalagala, making a return to the National team after their stint during the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Pre-Qualifiers, added 19 and 13 points apiece.
Teenager Mohamed Naaf Irushan celebrated his graduation to the senior ranks leading Maldives with a 15-point effort.
Mohamed Mousa and Brian Halums combined to score the last eight points of the period to help Palestine close the first quarter strong and Tamer Habash accounted for the first five of the second to put the WABA squad in the driving seat after Kyrgyzstan had begun to snap at their heels. A drive that didn’t only got easier.
Mousa and Halums didn’t need to raise much sweat post that and Habash finished with 16 points with Omar Suleiman leading Palestine’s scoring with 23-point effort.
Nazim Adylbekov, who plies his professional trade with Almaty Legion led Kyrgyz scoring with a game-high 33 points.
Thursday’s action in this group will see hosts Kazakhstan make their first appearance against Maldives after Palestine and Sri Lanka have faced off.
FIBA