26th FIBA Asia C’ Ship Day 3 Review: South Korea rout India; Lebanon ease past Malaysia (Part-1)
South Korea 84 – India 53
The inexorable South Koreans registered their third straight win of the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship in as many days after they eased past India with a comprehensive 84-53 victory on Saturday night. On the other hand, the losing
streak continued for the Indian National Team as they suffered yet another defeat standing in the preliminary round with a 0-3 record.
South Korean player Byung-Hyun Kang finally regained his momentum in the final game of the preliminary round and sparked the night with a game-high 22 points and 6 rebounds. Tae-Jong Moon paired up with Kang off the bench and netted
14 points as South Korea raced away.
India’s line-up completely failed to mark an impression against the spirited South Koreans. Trideep Rai was the only player who managed to land double figures in scoring and finished the game with 11 points and 6 boards.
Despite of clinching a second round berth by winning the first two games, the South Koreans continued to play with intensity. They headed out aggressively right from the tip-off and procured a comprehensive 27-11 lead in the first
10 minutes.
From there on, they never trailed.
The Indians had nothing to show going into the halftime as South Korea built a massive 46-28 lead.
The third quarter turned out to be another failure for the Indians and they were thrashed 20-6. However, in the final minutes of their journey in the tournament, India showed some signs of retaliation, however staring at a massive
lead that was constructed in the first three quarters; it turned out to be a wild goose chase for them.
Lebanon 87 – Malaysia 59
The Lebanese superstar Elie Estephane erupted with a game-high 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists as Lebanon overshadowed Malaysia 87-59 on day 3 of the FIBA Asia championship. With the win, Lebanon ascended to a 2-1 record in
the Group A, while the Malaysian team slipped to 1-2.
Fuelled with the determination to secure their second win in the preliminary round, Lebanon romped to a 27-8 lead in the first quarter and never lost the grip afterwards
Malaysia strived to strike back before halftime and outscored Lebanon 19-16, however it never placed them in a competitive position. The East Asians could do nothing but to watch the opposition crushing their defensive system completely
in the second half of the game. Lebanon torched Malaysia with a 44-point blitz in the last two quarters, handing the opposition their second loss in the preliminary round of the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.
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