Jordan outlast Thailand, Iran get first win in 49 years; strong starts for Indonesia, Kazakhstan

BANGKOK (Thailand) - Jordan clashed in a thriller against host Thailand before joining Indonesia, Iran, and Kazakhstan as winners on the opening day at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2023 Division B.

Indonesia win opening game of the competition

Timnas Basket Putri started strong and finished stronger in a 69-52 win victory over Mongolia to start their campaign in the Women's Asia Cup 2023 Division.

 

Indonesia put on display their defensive chops early on, holding Mongolia to two long scoreless stretches in the first half including a 10-0 run to their advantage.

As expected, Kim Pierrie-Louis was the main force for Indonesia with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals, though it was Agustin Gradita Reyong who orchestrate the offense to the tune of 11 assists.

Mongolia put up an upstart effort in their first-ever game in a Women's Asia Cup, but eventually, it was not enough to get a win on their first try. Ariuntsetseng Bat-Erdene was the main contributor for Mongolia with 9 points and 8 rebounds.

Iran claim first Women's Asia Cup win since 1974

Iran were unable to claim a victory in 2021, their first appearance in a Women's Asia Cup since 1974. In their second straight Division B campaign in Bangkok, they claim their first win in the competition in nearly 50 years, 65-59, against Malaysia.

 

The two teams went toe-to-toe in the first quarter and early in the second quarter. However, a rally to close the half by Iran which saw Malaysia go scoreless for nearly 4 full minutes, sparked by two three-pointers from Delaram Vakili, gave them a comfortable separation into the second half.

Iran continued to build up the lead to as large as 16 points, but Malaysia clawed their way back into the game riding an explosive 21 points in the second half from Fook Yee Yap. The Southeast Asian team eventually evened the score at 59-59 with 4 minutes to go.

Despite letting their big lead wiped away, Iran kept their composure and responded by attacking the basket for 6 unanswered points to earn the victory at the final buzzer.

Three players recorded double-digit points for Iran; Masoumeh Soudjani (13 points, 7 rebounds), Negin Rasoulipour (11 points), and Sheida Shojaeikohnehshahri (10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals).

For Malaysia, Fook Yee Yap also added 9 rebounds on top of her 28 points in the entire game.

Kazakhstan leave no room for upset in dominating win

After a disappointing campaign in 2021, Kazakhstan start their Women's Asia Cup Division B campaign in 2023 with a resounding win over Sri Lanka, 66-34.

 

Coach Vitaly Strebkov took the opportunity to rotate through his roster with everyone seeing at least 9 minutes of action. Tamara Yagodkina led the team in scoring with 16 points, while Anna Bezgodova posted a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Jordan's redemption campaign off to good start

Jordan come out of the gates exactly like a team determined to rebound from a Final loss in 2021, outlasting host Thailand 74-71 in their first game in Bangkok.

 

Marya Al Hinn was quick to put on display why she was a Player to Watch heading into the competition. In just the first 10 minutes of the game, Al Hinn already had 12 points and 5 rebounds before finishing with 26 points on 9-14 shooting and 11 rebounds. More important than her offensive production was when she blocked the potential game-tying three-pointer in the waning seconds of the game by Thailand.

Aisha Sheppard was also impressive in her debut for Jordan, especially from beyond the three-point arc. The Las Vegas Aces player knocked down 5 three-pointers on her way to 26 points while also collecting 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Thailand never backed down, charged by the cheers from the fans in the stands, but struggled to find their stroke and went only 4-35 from the three-point line. Nonetheless, they were able to be physical and close the gap that was as big as 16 points down to 3 points in the final seconds but could not get any closer.

Four players scored in double-digits for Thailand, including Thunchanok Lumdappang who had 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists in this game.

Amphawa Thuamon also had an all-around game with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 steals in the loss.

Top Performers

 

Daily Highs

Efficiency: 25 -Fook Yee Yap (MAS), Marya Al Hinn (JOR)
Points: 28 - Fook Yee Yap (MAS)
Rebounds: 12 -Anna Bezgodova (KAZ), Thunchanok Lumdappang (THA)
Assists: 11 - Agustin Gradita Retong (INA)
Steals: 7 - Amphawa Thuamo (THA)
Blocks: 2 -Dewa Ayu Sriartha (INA), Ariuntsetseg Bat-Erdene (MGL), Khulan Onolbaatar (MGL)

Results and Fixtures

Group A
Indonesia vs Mongolia - 69-52
Iran vs Malaysia - 65-59

Group B
Kazakhstan vs Sri Lanka - 66-34
Jordan vs Thailand - 74-71

FIBA