Home games in Palestine, Iraq highlight final day of Window 1

BANGKOK (Thailand) - The last day for Window 1 of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers came to a close, highlighted by historic home games in Palestine and Iraq. The higher-ranked teams had their way towards victories, leaving plenty of homework for their opponents to do ahead of Window 2 later this year.

RESULTS

Group D

KAZ vs PLE : 79-76
JOR vs SRI : 100-45
KAZ vs JOR : 68-71
PLE vs SRI : 102-60

Group F

BRN vs IND : 68-67
LBN vs IRQ : 87-68
IRQ vs IND : 75-94
LBN vs BRN : 116-73

It was a tough battle against Kazakhstan in the second game for Jordan, but the Falcons pulled through with big time performances from their young guard tandem of Freddy Ibrahim and Amin Abu Hawwas. They were pegged as the team to beat in Group F and that hasn’t changed after the first window.

Palestine went 1-1 in the first window, but they should feel good about themselves with what they achieved. They were able to push a high-ranked team in Kazakhstan to the brink and, more importantly, they hosted a historic game in an emphatic win over Sri Lanka. The game was the first ever FIBA game played in the country of Palestine, hosted in front of a rowdy crowd that cheered on for their home team in unison from start to finish.

 

Other than the expected top-notch performance in their win at home from Sani Sakakini, Palestine also got contribution from Salim Sakakini and Omar Krayem.

India rebounded remarkably from their heartbreaking loss to Bahrain, disappointing the noisy crowd at Al Shaeb Hall in Baghdad.

 

Fans were excited to see the Iraq national team play in the country after such a long time, but instead it was India who played inspiring basketball. The win was buoyed by a strong offensive effort which resulted in India shooting over 50.0 percent from the field and beyond the arc, as well as distribution that saw 26 assists being dished out.

Lebanon closed out the action of Window 1 in the Asia Cup Qualifiers, blowing by Bahrain with fiery shooting from start to finish. They started the game making their first five three-pointers and never went lower than 50.0 percent through the entire game. The Tall Cedars finish with an incredible 19 threes on only 27 attempts.

It seemed like everyone was making threes and no one could seem to miss as they continued to pile on the lead over Bahrain. The visitors tried to fight back with a big game from CJ Giles, but nothing was going to stop Lebanon from getting the win in this game.

Standouts

Sani Sakakini

31.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game

Sakakini has been pouring in the numbers with efficiency, being one of the few players from Window 1 to shooting at least 50 percent from the field, 45 percent from downtown, and 80 percent from the free throw line.

Sure his numbers are impressive, but how he never forgets to credit his teammates for their sacrifices to play for the national team solidifies his spot here as a standout of Window 1. 

Freddy Ibrahim

19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game

Fans were already expected Freddy Ibrahim to impress with Jordan at the Asia Cup Qualifiers, but maybe not to this extent. Without a number of key veterans on the squad, Ibrahim stepped up big time, especially in their close win over Kazakhstan.

Not only has Ibrahim been getting his numbers, he’s been doing so efficiently by shooting 52.0 percent from the field, 55.6 from three-point range, and perfect from the charity stripe. 

Muin Bek Hafeez

18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.5 steals per game

India were so close to coming out of this window undefeated. A large reason of how well they’ve been playing is the unexpected rise of Muin Bek Hafeez, who has been terrorizing on the perimeter on both ends.

Hafeez has been a finisher on the break, but he’s also started the transition game as well with his steals.

Karim Zeinoun

15.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game

Zeinoun going 9-10 from beyond the three-point line over 2 games might have been enough to get him on this list, but he did a lot more than just long range sniping.

The 20-year-old was also a playmaker for Lebanon, setting up his teammates who benefitted from his ability to stretch the floor. Even with proven stars like Wael Arakji and Ali Haidar on the team, the youngster Zeinoun still managed to standout with his performan.

FIBA