FIBA Asia Championship September 20 Review: Philippines edge Japan; Indonesia better India (Part 3)
Philippines 83 – Japan 76
A dominant second half play enabled team Philippines to overcame Japan 83-76 in a closely contested encounter on Tuesday in the Eight-Final round of the FIBA Asia Championship.
Marcus Douthit once again came to rescue Philippines, when it was really required. Douthit poured in game-high 25 points along with 18 rebounds to achieve a game winning double-double. His field goal and three-point shooting was
above 55 percent and he devastated the Japanese with a 83.3 conversion rate from the stripe.
From Japan, Joji Takeuchi was the major contributor. He made 22 points and also grabbed eight rebounds for the losing side.
Philippines took some time to settle. They missed a number of scoring opportunities in the opening frame allowing Japan to race away to a 23-18 lead. The Japanese maintained their lead in the second quarter and led Philippines
by 40-34 into the third quarter.
Philippines came out as a different team in the second half and scorched the Japanese with 26 to12 in the third frame, chalking out a 60-52 lead by its end. After a third quarter slump, the Japanese tried their heart out in the
last frame, but the Filipinos hung tough and countered every move by the Japanese to hold on to a 7 point win.
Indonesia 84 – India 75
In the battle of relative lightweights, Indonesia kept their composure in the clutch and defeated India 84-75 in yet another closely fought battle on Tuesday in the Eight-Final round.
Mario Wuysang spearheaded the Indonesians with 17 points, on a 45.5 percent shooting from the field, eight rebounds and seven assists. For India, Hareesh Koroth led all scorers with 22 points on a 57.1 percent shooting, five boards
and two assists.
Indians were sluggish in the first quarter and the Indonesians took full advantage of the situation. They thumped a 20-14 run in the frame to make a head start. India recovered on the offense in the second quarter, but their defense
failed to limit Indonesia. By the time, the teams went into the locker room at halftime, Indonesia was enjoying a lead of seven points (44-37).
The third quarter was a high scoring affair, as both teams tallied 20 plus points. However, Indians once again failed to inch close and Indonesia led them by 67-57 into the final 10 minutes of the game. The final quarter wasn’t
much different from the preceding periods, as Indonesia kept their composure and steered the game away from India by a difference of nine points.
Tags: