OPQT's: Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia get first wins; unbeaten Bahrain favorites to finish on top

DAMASCUS (Syria) - The third day of action in Damascus saw Bahrain continue their undefeated run even as Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia finally broke into the win column.

Here's your wrap of how the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament action on Monday played out in the Syrian capital.

Bahrain hammer Syria

Bahrain continued their perfect start by defeating Syria, 91-60. The win improved their record to 3-0, while Syria fell to 1-2.

Mustafa Rashed led Bahrain with 32 points, while Muzamil Hamooda added 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Majd Arbasha led Syria with 15 points and four assists.

The game was never really in doubt, as Bahrain led by as many as 33 points in the second half. Rashed was in unstoppable form, hitting 10 three-pointers in the game.

The win is a major boost for Bahrain, who are now the only unbeaten team left in the tournament. They will look to continue their winning ways when they face Indonesia on Day 4.

Kazakhstan stun India

Kazakhstan pulled off a major upset by defeating India, 73-70. The win was Kazakhstan's first of the tournament and improved their record to 1-2. India, meanwhile, fell to 2-1.

The 2.08m Vladimir Ivanov led Kazakhstan with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Konstantin Neff added 12 points, including four three-pointers. On the other end, Arvind Kumar Muthu Krishnan led India with 18 points and six rebounds.

The game was close throughout, with 16 lead changes. India actually led 68-64 with three minutes to go, but Kazakhstan outscored them 9-2 the rest of the way. An Oleg Balashov three-pointer gave Kazakhstan the lead for good, 69-68 with just over 90 seconds remaining.

India were doomed by their 16 turnovers, which Kazakhstan converted into 20 points. Kazakhstan only had 12 turnovers. The win is a major boost for Kazakhstan, who were coming off a 37-point loss on Day 2. They will now look to build on this momentum and make a run in the tournament.

India, meanwhile, will be disappointed with the loss. They had a chance to win the game, but they made too many mistakes down the stretch. They will need to clean up their game if they want to catch Bahrain at the top of the table.

Saudi Arabia topple Indonesia

Saudi Arabia picked up their first win after defeating Indonesia, 86-72. The win improved Saudi Arabia's record to 1-2, while Indonesia fell to 1-2.

Mohammed Alsuwailem led Saudi Arabia with 23 points and 17 rebounds, while Khalid M Abdel Gabar added 13 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Marques Bolden led Indonesia with 21 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks.

The game was close throughout the first three quarters. However, Saudi Arabia pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run. Alsuwailem won his matchup in the paint against Bolden, outscoring him 23-18 and grabbing 17 rebounds to Bolden's nine. The Saudis out-rebounded Indonesia overall, 52-31, and outscored them in the paint, 50-18.

Top Performers

Mohammed Alsuwailem played like a beast on Day 3. He was the day's best performer thanks to his 23-point, 17-rebound effort which accumulated a performance efficiency valuation of 35.

21-year-old Mustafa Rashed shot the lights out. He nailed 10 triples en route to scoring a day-high 32 points for Bahrain.

Despite their second loss, Indonesia continued to get great numbers out of big man Marques Bolden. He recorded 21 points and 9 boards.

Yudha Saputera also did well for Indonesia. He hit 4 three-pointers on his way to 20 points. The 1.75m point guard also added 9 assists and 5 rebounds.

Vladimir Ivanon scored in double-digits for the second day in a row. He had a nifty 19-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Steppen Wolves as they won over India.

Photo of the Day

Adilkhan Marat's reaction epitomized Kazakhstan's joy after they booked their first win of the tournament at India's expense.

Highlight of the Day

 

Bahrain celebrated their third straight win of the tournament on the back of Mustafa Rashed's sharp-shooting.

FIBA