Palestine first to reach Asia Cup Qualifiers; Iraq force 3-way tie after dealing Qatar first loss

DOHA (Qatar) - Palestine became the first to reach the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers following an 80-46 conquest of Oman, Monday night at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall.

The team of Coach Ioannis Diamantakos broke the game wide open in the second quarter, pouring 24 points while limiting their foes to just six for a 43-17 lead at the half before cruising towards booking a return trip to the ACQ.

Efosa Osayande finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Jamal Mayali made 16 markers and 10 boards as the two led their dominant first half, where they combined for almost half of the team's output with 21 points.

The Palestinian dribblers remain unbeaten in the Pre-Qualifiers after three games now -- they ended the First Round with a clean 2-0 slate.

The one-sided affair was a stark contrast to the Second Round's opening salvo, where UAE needed the endgame heroics of Omer Alameri to complete the comeback and beat Kuwait, 68-67, to boost their ACQ chances.

Play was broken by the opposition but the 31-year-old forward was there to save their possession, nailing a bailout three-pointer from the top of the key to break the 65-all deadlock with only three seconds left in the game.

They then turned to their defense to prevent Kuwait from having a good look from deep, and went on to collect their second win of the Pre-Qualifiers.

His shot, furthermore, saved the efforts of Omar Alshabebi, who captained their 8-0 run for a 62-56 lead with under four minutes remaining in the final period.

Alshabebi led the way with 25 points, including the go-ahead triple with 5:23 left that ignited the aforementioned rally. alongside 11 rebounds. Faisal Mohammad and Hassn Hussain added 11 markers apiece in the win.

Alex Alghais, meanwhile, had 17 points to lead Kuwait, who led by as many as 14 points only to lose -- and remain winless in the Pre-Qualifiers (0-3).

The nightcap saw Iraq spoil deal Qatar their first loss of the tournament following a 75-70 decision in a solid display of resolve.

Demario Mayfield led the way with a 26 points, alongside 12 rebounds and 6 assists as he helped out Ihab Al-Zuhairi in restoring order after allowing the home team to take a 59-58 edge after leading by as many as 11.

Al-Zuhairi nailed back-to-back hits from the post to build a 62-59 lead with 4:09 remaining in the game, and Mayfield would keep the Qataris at bay afterwards that saw him push their advantage to 70-66 with 38 seconds to go.

Striking the dagger, though, was Ali Ismael, who converted a three-point play off an Abdulrahman Saad foul to make it a 73-66 lead, 20 ticks left.

The game's result has created a three-way logjam in Group E among UAE, Iraq, and Qatar as they all carry identical 2-1 records.

Mike Lewis led the hosts with 21 points. Moustafa Fouda made 17 points while Saad finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

 FIBA