History made: Philipines beat Korea, Qatar bound for Quarter-Finals

DOHA (Qatar) - Jordan, Iran, Qatar, and the Philippines are the next teams to join the Quarter-Finals field with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and China.

It is the first time ever for hosts Qatar to advance to the Quarter-Finals in the history of the competition, while the Philippines beat Korea for the first time ever in the history of the competition.

Grind-out victory for Jordan over Malaysia

Malaysia didn't make it easy but Jordan emerged victorious nonetheless, 70-64.

The young Falcons were coming in with a high level of confidence after beating Korea to finish the Group Phase as the second-placed team in Group C, and quickly sprinted to a 15-2 run to start the game. They would lead by as much as 13 points once again in the final quarter, but could never shake Malaysia off their backs.

The Southeast Asian side made small runs here and there to close to game to as narrow as three points on multiple occasions and late in the game, but never got that final push to apply more pressure.

Omar Hijazi was Jordan's star once again, though the team felt the effect of his absence after he picked up two fouls in the first quarter. Hijazi came back and ended up with 16 points on 7-11 shooting, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Jordan's victory places them in the Quarter-Finals where they will play against Australia.

Iran make third straight Quarter-Finals, knock out Lebanon

It is another Quarter-Finals trip for Iran after an 83-53 win over Lebanon.

They held Lebanon to only 9 points in the first quarter and cruise along the rest of the way to the victory at the final buzzer. This was Iran's third and biggest win over Lebanon at the U16 Asian Championship. Iran's duo of Iman Valizadeh (17 points) and Benyamin Mohammadi (18 points) not only led the team in scoring, but also knocked down 3 three-pointers each.

Iran have made it to the Quarter-Finals in all of their U16 Asian Championship appearances, though they haven't made it to the Semi-Finals since the inaugural edition where they also made their only podium finish. They will be facing China in the Quarter-Finals, an opponent they are familiar with - having faced each other at the youth level 4 times already.

Qatar make history

After a thrilling 87-84 win over India, Qatar advance to their first-ever Quarter-Finals appearance in their history playing in the competition.

It was a reverse of results and revenge for Qatar as India had beaten them 77-51 in the previous edition of the competition last year. In that game in 2022, Mohamed Massamba Ndao scored 13 points and Abdullah Yassin Mousa went scoreless.

This time, however, the two combined for 60 points to help lead their team into the next round. Ndao continues his spectacular run of performances, posting an EFF of 38 as a result of recording 29 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks while also making 4 three-pointers. Mousa led the team with 31 points while raining in 7 made shots from beyond the arc.

Lavish, the returning player from India's side, had his best game of the competition so far with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists but could not knock down the last-second three-point that could have tied the game up and potentially forced overtime.

Qatar will now face New Zealand in the Quarter-Finals next.

Ludovice ties record to break Korea's curse

Joaquin Ludovice caught fire to lead the Philippines to a 95-71 win, their first ever against Korea in the history of the competition - and at the youth level in FIBA.

The sharpshooter had scored only 20 points in total in his first three games but already compiled 19 points at the end of the first half in this one. At the buzzer, Ludovice had 25 points on 7 three-pointers - tying the likes of Keisei Tominaga,  Jay Rantall, and Yudai Nishida for the U16 Asian Championship record.

The Philippines now advance to Quarter-Finals to face Japan. The two teams played against each other in 2022 with Japan winning 73-67.

Upcoming games

Quarter-Finals

Australia vs Jordan - 12:30 (GMT +3)
China vs Iran - 14:30 (GMT +3)
New Zealand vs Qatar- 17:00 (GMT +3)
Japan vs Philippines - 19:30 (GMT +3)

Daily Highs

Efficiency: 38 - Mohamed Massamba Ndao (QAT)
Points:  31 - Abdullah Yassin Mousa (QAT)
Rebounds: 13 - Kiefer Alas (PHI)
Assists: 7 - Kurt Nathan Velasquez (PHI)
Steals: 3 - Multiple players
Blocks: 3 - Mohamed Massamba Ndao (QAT)

Results and Fixtures

Qualification to Quarter-Finals

Jordan vs Malaysia - 70-64
Iran vs Lebanon - 83-53
India vs Qatar - 84-87
Philippines vs Korea - 95-71

FIBA