JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) – Guam seized control early and never truly let go, defeating Syria 82-73 in Group B action at the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 on Friday at the King Abdullah Sports City.
Tai Wesley turned in a near triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, while Jericho Cruz also netted 21 points on 5 triples. Earnest Ross Jr. added 17 points and 8 assists as Guam (1-1) bounced back from their opening defeat and kept their qualification hopes alive.
Syria (0-2) were once again paced by the prolific Keron Deshields, who tallied 29 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in another do-it-all performance, but could not drag his side across the finish line.
The game began at a blistering pace with both teams trading early runs. Guam struck first with a 5-0 burst from Ross and Cruz, but Syria answered through Christian Maran and Deshields to take a 12-10 edge midway through the quarter. From there, Ross and Deshields went shot-for-shot, before Tai Wesley poured in 7 straight points to hand Guam a 27-21 lead after one.
Syria started the second frame with renewed energy, pulling to within three at 29-26, only for Takumi Simon to push Guam’s lead back to eight. Deshields responded with a personal scoring spree that put Syria ahead 38-36 in the middle of the period, yet the Pacific islanders closed stronger. A 7-0 stretch led by Simon restored Guam’s cushion, 43-40, at halftime.
Cruz came out firing to open the third, stretching the lead to double digits at 55-45. While Syria rallied behind Omar Idelbi to close the gap to 63-59, Guam held firm, entering the final stanza ahead 64-59.
The fourth quarter saw Syria trim the margin to just four points on a Hani Adribi dunk, but Guam’s composure shone through. Wesley’s inside presence and Simon’s mid-range game steadied the ship before Cruz delivered the decisive blows. The veteran guard nailed three triples in the final minutes — two of them back-to-back — to rebuild a comfortable double-digit gap and keep Syria at bay.
Despite late baskets from Deshields, Guam’s ball movement and shot-making in the clutch ensured there would be no collapse. Guam finished with four players in double-figures, a testament to their balanced attack.
With the win, Guam improve to 1-1 and will next face Japan in a pivotal matchup, while Syria fall to 0-2 and will try to avoid elimination when they take on Iran.
Beyond the win-loss record, however, this was a truly historic outcome for Guam basketball. "This game will go down in history for our program because it was our first win here at the FIBA Asia Cup, and we always said we don't want to just come and enjoy a great experience but also make a statement that we belong at this level of basketball," said coach EJ Calvo. "I'm so proud of the team to come together and accomplish the goal of getting a win and being able to earn the right to play more basketball in this tournament."
FIBA