Falcons defeat Gilas; Japan beat Korea to lock up Quarter-Finals spots in Asian Games action

HANGZHOU (China) - FIBA Asia Cup powerhouses secure their direct Quarter-Finals spots as the Final Round of Men's Basketball in the 19th Asian Games is set after today's games.

Key Storylines

-Iran win in another clash against Kazakhstan, potential preview for Asia Cup Qualifiers
-Japan, Jordan emerge victorious in marquee matchups
-Bahrain, Qatar win in "elimination" games
-Saudi Arabia, Chinese Taipei hold off determined opponents from advancing
-Hosts China continue to dominate

Recap

In one of the two big games of the day, Japan edged out rivals Korea in an exciting 83-77 win. Akatsuki Japan were on fire from beyond the arc, shooting 41 percent on 17 made three-point shots to the win. They were led by Keita Imamura who had 22 points.

 

Korea were also on fire, shooting 39 percent on 12 made three-point shots. They were led by Heo Hoon's 24 points and 6 three-pointers, but it was not enough to get a win in this closely-competed game.

 

Japan's victory earns them direct qualification to the Quarter-Finals from Group D, while Korea will have to play through the Qualification to Quarter-Finals round.

Qatar had a strong fourth quarter to hand Indonesia a 74-67 defeat. Indonesia had a strong start, but allowed a 20-11 fourth quarter advantage to Qatar. Elhadji Ndoye was Qatar's leading scorer with 21 points, but also grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 4 assists.

With the win, Qatar takes the last spot in the Qualification to Quarter-Finals round in Group D.

In Group A, Iran easily took care of Kazakhstan 86-60 to clinch the top spot in the group and head directly to the Quarter-Finals. They had five players scoring in double-digits led by 17 points from Navid Rezaeifar. The two teams have played in some intriguing games in recent years and will clash once again soon when the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers tipoff as they were both draw in Group E.

 

Saudi Arabia then collected their ticket to the Qualification to Quarter-Finals round with a 74-67 win over UAE, also securing the spot for Kazakhstan in the process. Mohammed Alsuwailem continues to be a force to be reckoned with after recording 22 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

The other marquee matchup of the day was between Jordan and the Philippines in Group C where the Falcons defeated Gilas Pilipinas convincingly 87-62. Rondae Hollis Jefferson led Jordan in scoring once again, this time with 24 points while also getting 6 rebounds and 9 assists. The Philippines' Justin Brownlee was about to match with 24 points, but Gilas only had one other player reach double-digit scoring while Jordan had four more players that scored at least 10 points. Jordan clinched the top of Group C with the win and move directly onwards to the Quarter-Finals, while the Philippines will have to win another game to get there as well.

 

The other game in Group C decided the team that would advance to the Qualification to the Quarter-Finals and it was Bahrain that emerged with a powerful second-half performance to win 76-62 over Thailand. Bahrain, the recent FIBA Olympics Pre-Qualifying Tournament 2023 Syria winners, were actually trailing at half-time. However, they shifted gears on offense to get the win coming out of the half-time break.

 

Hosts China continue to show no signs of struggle after a 95-50 win over Hong Kong, China to properly clinch the top spot in Group B and advance directly to the Quarter-Finals. All players got on the scoreboard for China as they collected 31 assists to go with 36 made field goals as a team.

The spotlight of suspense was left more on the game between Chinese Taipei and Mongolia with the last spot to advance on the line. In the end, it was Chinese Taipei who came out with a 78-75 victory. The game went back and forth to the pleasure of the fans with both teams holding the lead for at least 15 minutes each and seeing the lead swap hands 17 times. Will Artino had 27 points and 8 rebounds for Chinese Taipei, while Bolor-Erdene Gantsolmon had 13 points, 11 assists, and 2 steals for Mongolia.

With the results of these final games of the Group Phase, the Qualification to Quarter-Finals pairings will be:

Philippines vs Qatar (Winner to face Iran)
Chinese Taipei vs Kazakhstan (Winner to face Japan)
Korea vs Bahrain (Winner to face China)
Saudi Arabia vs Hong Kong (Winner to face Jordan)

Upcoming Games (1 October)

Women's Basketball

Korea vs Chinese Taipei 13:30 (GMT +8)
DPR Korea vs Thailand 13:30 (GMT +8)
Japan vs Philippines 17:30 (GMT +8)
Kazakhstan vs Hong Kong 17:30 (GMT +8)
China vs India 20:00 (GMT +8)
Indonesia vs Mongolia 20:00 (GMT +8)

FIBA