Roundup: FIBA Asia U16 Championship Day 1

MANILA, Philippines — The 2013 FIBA Asia U16 Championships in Tehran, Iran opened Wednesday, September 25 with most games being blowouts.

The traditional powerhouses prevailed, with the India-Jordan game the lone nail-biter.

In the first game of the day, Jordan came back from 18 points down in the second half to force overtime and scrape past India, 100-97. 6’7″ Khaled Abu Aboud led the way for the WABA squad with 24 points, 15 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks, while Mohammad Daher backstopped him with 21 points. Mahipal Singh and Ashish Briggs combined for 46 points to lead India, while Vishal Gupta collared 20 rebounds in the losing effort. Jordan takes on Japan today, while India takes a break to reflect on how they let this game go.

The second game of the day featured Chinese-Taipei drubbing Kazakhstan, 109-82. Pint-sized guard Tu Su-Han led the Taiwanese with 26 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals, while 6’2″ swingman Sung Yung-Cheng had 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals. Taiwan didn’t run into a lot of trouble here as they controlled the boards and forced 34 Kazakh turnovers. The losing side was led by the 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals of Leonid Voronushkin, while compatriot Alexandr Danilchenko added 18 points and 17 boards. TPE takes a break today, while the Kazakhs take on SEABA champion, Team Philippines.

The third game saw how the Junior Taeguk Warriors drub the Thais, 118-65. The inside-outside duo of Park Sang-Kwon and Kwon Hyeok-Joon was just unstoppable for coach Kim Do-Wan. The 6’5″ Park scored 19 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 4 steals, while team captain Kwon registered 18 markers, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 6 steals. The Koreans are expected to do really well in this tournament, and this start should underscore their deep pool of talent. The Thais, meanwhile, were paced by the 11 markers in 15 minutes of Numjan Sittiporn. Thailand faces fellow SEABA side Malaysia today, while the Koreans face WABA powerhouse Iran.

In the opening day’s fourth game, China met expectations by quashing Syria, 95-61. The parade of young giants continues for the Big Red Machine, as 6’10″ 16-year old Hu Jinqiu led the way with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. He was ably supported by team captain Xu Mingzhi, who netted 13 markers, 7 boards, and 4 thefts. 6’9″ 15-year old Yuan Zheliang also impressed with a dozen points on top of 14 boards in under 17 minutes. Embattled Syria’s charge was spearheaded by playmaker Ronaldo Shammas’s 20 points on the strength of 4 triples. Ironically, the 5’7 guard also led Syria in rebounding with 8 caroms. China looks to win again by palying Hong Kong today, while Syria hopes to bounce back against Bahrain.

In game number five, Iran had no problems trampling all over Malaysia, 104-68, with Behrooz Razeghin, Soheil Farhadi, and Ali Naziri each scoring at least 19 points. Razeghin led the way with 26 points and 4 treys, team captain Farhadi followed him up with 19 markers, while 6’8 Naziri contributed 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 rejections. The hapless Malaysians trailed for the whole game, with Yek Liang Chuan and Tan Wei Jie combining for 35 points to lead the team’s scorers. The Malaysians can break into the win column by beating the Thais today, while Iran should be tested by the Koreans.

For the final match, Bahrain managed to pull away in the second half to win comfortably over Hong Kong, 85-60. Sadiq Hasan topped all scorers with 22 points to go along with a mammoth 21 rebounds, while 6’4 Mohamed Juma added 13 markers and 22 boards. They also paired up for 5 blocks. Needless to say, the Gulf side dominated the battle of the boards, 73-47, while also forcing 10 more HKG turnovers. Hong Kong was paced by the 17 points and 5 treys of On Ka Chung. Hong Kong face the Chinese today, while the Bahrainis hope to upset the Syrians. – Rappler.com