BANGKOK (Thailand) - Lebanon and Kazakhstan picked up big wins to keep their records intact in the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup 2026-Division B competitions on Tuesday at the Nimibutr Stadium.
The young Cedars handed Samoa an 84-52 decimation to open the gameday before the CABA side rolled past the Cook Islands, 73-48, to set up a meeting so important tomorrow, Wednesday, July 15, at 13:30 local time.
Both teams have improved to 2-0 following the results, making their upcoming game a showdown for the no. 1 spot in Group B, which merits a direct qualification to the Semi-Finals on Saturday, July 18.
All but one in Team Lebanon scored at least 2 points in the triumph, with star guard Lara Al Nakib leading the way once again with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 steals as she overcame a tepid start into the match.
Joudy El Harake came through with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds plus 5 steals. Elissa Abou Jaoude went 4-of-6 from deep for 12 points as the 3 starters bannered the big victory.
It was by no means easy all throughout, though, as the Lebanese found themselves struggling early in the third canto - so much so that the good lead they built evaporated and allowed Samoa to get ahead.
A tight exchange ensued and Talaitupu Ianeta Reid gave the Oceania side the 42-41 advantage with less than 6 minutes to go, but Nour Hoteit answered back and her bucket triggered an 8-0 run to end the period.
They'd continue the assault early in the fourth, with Hoteit, Karin Kamaz, and El Harake combining for 6 straight points to inflate the lead to 70-44, and that proved to be enough to put them up permanently.
Sara Abdo made her presence felt in the win with her game-high efficiency of 22, built behind all-around numbers of 9 points, 6 rebounds, the same number of assists, and 5 steals - the team had 34 steals as a whole.
In the second game, the Kazakhs had it more comfortably, breaking away wide in the second period as they more than doubled their foes' output, 31-15, to build a commanding 47-25 lead at the half, never to let up.
Ten players were on the scoreboard in the lopsided win, with Amina Sharipova top-scoring with 17 points mainly behind an excellent 5-of-8 clip from beyond the arc on a 56.6-percent shooting clip overall.
Yerlan Shakhida knocked down a quartet of triples and finished with 16 points. Milana Krutevich supplied 12 points while Liana Dymovskikh and Karakat Satzhanova combined for 22 of the team's 55 rebounds.
Samoa and the Cook Islands, both 0-2, will face one another tomorrow at 11:00 local time, with the winner securing the 3rd spot in Group B and a ticket to the Qualification to Semi-Finals on Friday, July 17.
FIBA