Jordan suffers its first defeat at home since 2018 as a result of the Philippines, while Saudi Arabia finally snaps their losing streak.
The match between Jordan and the Philippines did not disappoint in terms of its level of competitiveness, which had been anticipated. Both teams emerged from their respective games with the intention of being offensively aggressive, and the contest would eventually devolve into a rough one because neither side would back down.
The matchup between Kai Sotto and Ahmad Al Dwairi in the paint was the highlight of the first quarter, and it received a lot of attention because of it. Both Sotto and Al Dwairi had their shining moments on both sides of the court, and even though the more experienced Al Dwairi appeared to have the upper hand, Sotto did have his share of impressive plays.
Dwairi would already have a double-double by the middle of the game and would end up with a monster line of 18 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals, but the evening would not end so well for the big man. Dwairi would end up with a monster line of 18 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.
Especially after Ray Parks scored 11 of his total 13 points in the second interval by himself, the later parts of the game featured a greater emphasis on three-point shooting from the perimeter of the court.
The Philippines were able to keep up their intensity going into the second half of the game, which allowed them to take the lead as Jordan fell further and further behind. Jordan appeared to be a completely different team in the second half, as evidenced by the fact that they were outscored 21-10 in the third quarter, and the Philippines continued to capitalize on the momentum they had gained.
The final score was 74-66 in favor of the Philippines, and Jordan’s team was unable to score more than 27 points in the second half of the game, which contributed to the team’s loss
It was a well-rounded performance by the Philippine side. There were ten people who contributed to the score, and three of them scored more than ten points each. Sotto finished with 21 points and seven rebounds to lead Gilas in scoring, while CJ Perez contributed 11 points of his own to the team’s total.
Gilas moves up to fourth place in the standings with a record of 4-3, but there is no pressure on them to perform well because they are already qualified to co-host the upcoming World Cup.
Instead, the burden of responsibility has been shifted to Jordan, which has a record of 3-4. In addition, this defeat marks Jordan’s first at-home loss in FIBA competitions, including earlier matches in the World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers, Asia Cup 2022 Qualifiers, and World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers.
In the meantime in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia crushed India with an impressive 85-54 victory. They led the entire game and never looked back.
Saudi Arabia had four players score in the double digits, including Khalid Abdel Gabar, Mathna Almarwami, and Musab Kadi, who are the usual suspects. Saudi Arabia lost this game. The unexpected contributor was Hazim Aljohar, who made his debut with the national team and finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds.
With this victory, Saudi Arabia ends a skid in which they had lost their previous three matches, and they improve to 2-0 in the Second Round of the Asian Qualifiers.
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