JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - Karim Zeinoun came through with the biggest of buckets to help Lebanon sneak past Qatar, 84-80, in their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 debut at the King Abdullah Sports City, Wednesday night.
The two-way specialist finished with 10 points, including the Cedars' last five that ultimately saved themselves from completely coughing up a 15-point lead after Brandon Goodwin strapped the Qataris on his back.
Goodwin waxed hot from beyond the arc and made good use of his trips to the free throw line, and his efforts would enable his side to breathe down their foes' necks, 79-78, with only 52.6 seconds remaining.
But then came 'KZ,' who after hauling down Ali Mansour's miss from close range, dribbled to the right corner and then pulled the trigger for a booming trifecta to give themselves an 82-78 lead with 26.1 to spare.
Goodwin tried to will Team Qatar back with a perfect trip to the stripe just moments later, but that proved to be their last stand as Zeinoun sank his own charities with 17.2 left to play to settle the eventual count.
"It was a very tough game. Every time, the first game is very hard in every championship, to open in a good way," offered head coach Miodrag Perisic. "But in the end we won, and we deserve this victory."
Mansour and Dedric Lawson led the Lebanese with 12 points each, with the bruising big man out of University of Kansas adding 7 rebounds to his name on the way to taking home TCL Player of the Game honors.
Hayk Gyokchyan made 11 points, spiked by three of the team's seven treys - two of which he made back-to-back to erase a narrow deficit and turn it to a 16-11 lead, putting them ahead until the late retaliation.
Ali Haidar also had 11 in the win that should help prime Lebanon in their next game versus Australia on Friday at 18:00 local time - easily one of the tourney's most awaited games as it is a rematch of the 2022 Final.
It would be a clash for the Group A lead as both squads are coming off wins, with the Boomers beginning their campaign with a 97-61 rout of Korea earlier in the day behind the hot shooting of Jack McVeigh.
Goodwin, on the other hand, led Qatar with 33 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists for an impressive FIBA debut as he gave the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 hosts a fighting chance of upending a serious contender.
Abdulrahman Saad, though, was his lone backup with 15 points in the loss.
Team Qatar will look to bounce back - and keep their Final Phase hopes alive - against the Koreans on Friday as well at 11:00, a game that could be crucial as to which of them would stay in the group's top three race.
FIBA