Malaysia overcomes Uzbekistan, 82-76; Grabs 11th spot in FIBA Asia Championship
For the 11the spot, Malaysia and Uzbekistan came face to face on Saturday in FIBA Asia Championship Classification-Round (9-12). On the day, Malaysia managed to overcame Uzbekistan in the second half of the game to clinch an 82-76
win and also the 11th position overall in the tournament.
With this win Malaysia managed to end their FIBA Asia Championship journey on a high note. Shee Fai Loh was the standout for the Malaysian side, tallied 18 points, clutched eight rebounds and provided two assists1, during his 24
minutes stay on the court. Loh went seven of 11 from the field and four of six from the three-point range.
Malaysian offense paced their side right from the very beginning. Malaysia used a 7-2 run to grab the lead immediately, with more than seven minutes to go in the first. Uzbekistan came running from behind, but until than Malaysians
secured a 22-14 lead to close the first period in their favour. Chuan Chin Wee thumped five points during the period for Malaysia.
Coach Cheng Huat Goh’s team carried the momentum in the second quarter and despite of Aleksandr Kozlov’s seven points, Malaysians maintained the lead right through the period. So at the halftime, points on scoreboard stood as 45-33
for Malaysia.
After the interval, Uzbeks revived the threat by tightening the loose ends. Uzbekistan’s Evgeniy Shatrov ignited a 16-7 rally with his whooshing three-pointer, when 4:17 minutes were left in the period. This spurt by the Uzbeks
cut the deficit down to just five points (64-59) and brought them within the striking range, when the quarter closed. Shatrov led the surge with his 10 points contribution that includes three long range missiles from beyond the arc.
Uzbekistan eventually able to erase the shortfall and jumped in front of Malaysia with Vyacheslav Denisov’s three-pointer that read the scoreboard 66-67 for the Uzbeks. After which the battle became more intense, as both teams
exchanged baskets on regular intervals.
However, it was Malaysia that kept their cool and burst through the defences of the Uzbeks to thump a 9-0 spurt in the ensuing minutes of the final quarter that pushed the difference to 81-73, with just 59 seconds remaining in
the game. Loh hit seven points in that surge and Malaysia finally seized the game in their favour with six-point lead (82-76).
Li Wei Chee was the second best scorer for the Malaysian side. He made a double-double that includes 13 points and 14 rebounds. He remained 71.4 percent from the field and 60 percent from the paint.
Besides, Loh and Chee, Wee and Yeo Seng John Ng added nine points apiece in this crucial win over Uzbekistan.
In response to that Denisov of Uzbekistan, scored game-high 21 points along with six boards, three steals and two assists. He went seven of 11 from the field and six of nine from the three-point range.
Kozlov tried to help Uzbekistan with 15 points and 15 boards contribution, but Uzbeks needed little more help from the rest of their roster to prevent Malaysia from stealing the game away from them.
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