JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - Saudi Arabia continued what's becoming an impressive turnaround in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 following an 84-59 victory over India at the King Abdullah Sports City on Saturday night.
Still on a high from beating Jordan, the hosts flipped a one-point deficit with a strong second quarter before breaking away for good in the third on the way to clinching the no. 2 spot in Group C with a 2-1 record.
And that enabled the squad of Coach Ricard Casas to secure a spot in the Qualification to Quarter-Finals that begins Monday, where they will be taking on Group D's third-ranked team in the Philippines.
"The next match is not easy. It's very difficult. We will give our best," the Spanish mentor offered. "Of course it's very important, these next hours for our preparation. Because we will play a good team."
A total of five players finished in double figures in the triumph, with lead big man Mohammed Alsuwailem leading the way with another solid double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds for an efficiency of 27.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman came through with 14 points, alongside 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Marzouq Almuwallad made 12 points, spiked by a pair of treys, with Khalid Abdel Gabar tallying a 10-5-5 stat line.
Musab Kadi added 10 as well while Fahad Belal and the Almarwani brothers Mohammed and Mathna added at least 6 points as they played a significant role in taking care of business in front of their home fans.
Belal himself was responsible for putting themselves ahead for good as he opened the second frame with a trey. Then came Alsuwailem and the others, with Abdel Gabar pushing their lead to 42-29 with 45 ticks left.
It would be all Saudi since, with the lead growing to as big as 26 late in the match as they cruised toward their second win in a row - indeed a marked improvement after going 0-3 in the 2022 Asia Cup.
"We need to keep preparing and to have ambitions," offered Casas. "The next step for us is to have ambitions. There's no technical or tactical analysis, but the truth today is the history [we made]."
Palpreet Singh Brar, on the other hand, had 20 points to lead India, who bowed out with a 0-3 card.
The loss, furthermore, extended the South Asian side's win drought in the Asia Cup. The last time that the country won in the competition was in 2015 in Changsha, China where they finished with a 3-6 record.
FIBA