MIES (Switzerland) - First Round's final flourish continued in the Asian Qualifiers. Barring Iran's relatively facile win over Jordan, the remaining three Group C and D games proved to be tense affairs before Syria, Lebanon, and Qatar prevailed.
Individually, whether from the winning sides or the losing teams, there were standout performances across the board.
Here are our top five performers on July 2.
Who would you vote for?
Mohammed Alsuwailem (KSA)
Center
Date of Birth: Mar 2, 1998 Height: 208 cm / 6'9"
Is there any stopping, or at least slowing down, of Saudi Arabia's inside anchor? After a perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the field against Qatar earlier this week, Alsuwailem followed it up with 20 points, 16 rebounds double double at a 35 efficiency against Lebanon. Saudi Arabia may have lost the game, but 'Big MO' definitely won in the paint.
Fantasy Points: 41
Pranav Prince (IND)
Forward
Date of Birth: Jun 19, 2003 Height: 200 cm / 6'6"
Our second player on this list from the losing side, when Pranav Prince gets his shooting going, he becomes one of the most exciting young prospects in Asian basketball. Facing Qatar at home, not only was Prince money from deep, he also had 5 emphatic blocks in the first half, setting a defensive tempo for the entire Indian team. Prince ended with a balanced statline of 13 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 assists and 1 steal, at an impressive 30 efficiency.
Fantasy Points: 41
Donte Lamont Mc Gill (SYR)
Guard
Date of Birth: May 16, 1995 Height: 191 cm / 6'3"
Syria faltered slightly before pulling through to the 91-81 win over Iraq and booking their place in the Second Round. Not surprisingly, Mc Gill was their go-to guy, staying on the floor the entire 40 minutes for his 27 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals effort. Mc Gill was especially lethal from deep, sinking 5 threes.
Fantasy Points: 35
Amir Saoud (LBN)
Guard
Date of Birth: Jan 18, 1991 Height: 187 cm / 6'1"
With Lebanon missing their two top scorers from the previous windows, someone else had to #StepItUp for the Cedars against Saudi Arabia. Captain Saoud led from the front, perfect from the field in the first half before finishing with game-high figures of 25 points including 7-of-7 from the freethrow line.
Fantasy Points: 26
Arsalan Kazemi (IRI)
Forward
Date of Birth: Apr 22, 1990 Height: 202 cm / 6'7"
Kazemi is one of those rare players who doesn't need to score in bunches to have a 'good' game. Facing Jordan in a battle for Group C's top spot, the veteran power forward had more rebounds (11) than points (7), yet was still the most efficient player (20) on the floor in Team Melli's dominant 67-49 victory.
Fantasy Points: 27
FIBA