CHENNAI (23rd FIBA Asia Women Championship) - Malaysia and Lebanon booked their place in the Level I play-off with eye-catching, albeit for different reasons, wins to round off their Level II campaigns on Tuesday.

Malaysia played an incredible final five minutes – outscoring Uzbekistan 24-7 – and eked out a 78-77 win.

Lebanon also defeated a Middle Asian nation team but dominated Kazakhstan throughout before winning 83-58.

Philippines completed the Middle Asian rout beating Sri Lanka 70-55.

Malaysia, now will take on the sixth placed team from Level I – in all probability India, a team they lost to in the play-off in the last edition.

“We have our plans ready,” Malaysia coach Tan See Wah said.

“Obviously it will revolve around stopping Geethu (Anna Jose) and we are ready to play her,” he added.

“The girls have showed a lot of spirit in winning a couple of very good games, including today. Now we need to continue that for one more game,” he said.

Against Uzbekistan, down 54-70 midway through the fourth quarter, Kew Suik-may fired in a three-pointer to kick start Malaysia’s resurgence.

The 26-year-old went on to score four more points during the rest of the game and topped the scoring for Malaysia with 18 points.

Yong Shin-min scored 13 for the game – six of them in the final five minutes – and Goh Beng Fong scored all her seven during this time.

Pee Yann Yann had five of 11 as Uzbekistan were left gasping.

Irinina Polunina topped the game in scoring with 19 points, but none in the dying moments and only two – in free-throws at that – of Yelena Khusnitdinova’s 18 came in the closing moments.

Uzbekistan, thus finished 1-4 and took the fifth place.

American Chantelle Anderson, naturalized recently, led the Lebanese barrage against Kazakhstan.

The former WNBA player scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in the opening quarter as the Elie Nasr maintained a firm control of the proceedings right from the word go – never to give it up.

Anderson went on to return a double-double of 23 points and 13 rebounds – both game-highs.

Chirine El Charif grabbed a dozen rebounds and points each

Chada Nasr was as crafty as ever in making the plays and scoring as well.

The Antranik star had a game-high five assists to go with her five rebounds and 13 points.

Sandra Najem too had 13 points.

“The team is coming along very well,” said Elie Nasr.

“We have definitely improved from the first game. But I think we are beginning to play the way we should. The last two games especially have been very satisfying,” he added.

Nataliya Kuzmicheva continued her good work for Kazakhstan and led their scoring with 15 points.

Nadezhda Kondrakova contributed 14 points.

Kazakhstan finished third in Level II.

Merenciana Arayi’s game-high 23 points and Cassandra Tiesco’s 11 rebounds were the significant factors in the Filipino victory.

Philippines thus finished fourth.

Sri Lanka who had finished 12th in the Incheon edition of the Championship two years ago remained in that position.

Premila Beruwalage and Inoka Juwan Pedige led the scoring for Sri Lanka with 12 points each.

S Mageshwaran
FIBA Asia