JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - Hashem Abbas came through when needed most as Jordan fended off India in overtime, 91-84, to start off their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 campaign, Tuesday at the King Abdullah Sports City.
The 26-year-old forward finished with 24 points and 7 rebounds with 3 steals as he took the initiative to will the Falcons back into the match after staring at an 80-76 deficit with under a minute to spare in regulation.
He nailed back-to-back hits from within point-blank range to tie things up with 14.4 seconds to go, and there was no stopping him anymore as he helped put it away for good in extra time for a triumphant opener.
After Dar Tucker gave themselves the lead for good with splits in separate trips to the line, Abbas went on to score six unanswered points to make it an 88-80 advantage for the crew with 1:48 remaining in the game.
Team India managed to cut the deficit to half but that proved to be the closest they could get as Freddy Ibrahim sank a total of three free throws in the game's final 14 seconds to apply the finishing touches in the win.
"He's a pretty special player," said head coach Roy Rana of Abbas, who shot 10-of-15 from the floor and netted an efficiency of 27. "His energy is different. His intensity is different. Sometimes, it's a little bit out of control."
"But he's also a young player," the Canadian mentor added. "I'm really, really impressed. He has something that you can't teach. You can't teach that kind of effort, that type of energy. That's what makes him special."
"And as his skills continue to improve, as his understanding of the game continues to improve, he's gonna be a very important player for Jordan - and I think a very important player for Asia for many years," Rana continued.
Tucker led all scorers with 30 points and 6 rebounds, while Ibrahim, despite a rough 4-of-13 shooting from the field, made his presence felt nonetheless as he registered 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
The Jordanians also received a solid contribution from Abdullah Olajuwon with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists as the athletic guard was also important in their fourth-quarter push to make it a winning FIBA debut.
Rana and his charges have taken the early lead in Group C (1-0) and will look to make it back-to-back victories when they test the mettle of hosts Saudi Arabia on Thursday, August 7, at 21:00 local time.
Leading India, on the other hand, was Arvind Krishnan with 14 points alongside 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Lead winger Pranav Prince supplied 12 points together with 7 rebounds and 5 assists plus a blocked shot.
Prince himself was responsible in giving his squad the two-possession lead with 53 seconds left in regulation, and was still trusted upon by the coaches to make the best possible decision with the game tied at 80-all.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to manufacture anything due to Abbas' agility on defense. Prince was forced to pass the ball out to Muin Bek Hafeez, whose attempt from outside only hit the backboard as time expired.
Still, it was a commendable effort from the South Asian team, which is looking to nab its first win in the Asia Cup in 10 years or since the 2015 competitions in Changsha, China where the team finished with a 3-6 slate.
"We have a young team and we just had some mental breakdowns at the end. But really proud. This is a team that I guess was not supposed to be as good as, but we had a chance," said Coach Scott Flemming.
India will next face China on Thursday at 11:00 local time, hoping of course to give the tournament's most successful program with 16 titles a good fight similar to what they did against Team Jordan.
FIBA