India make history again; Australia join Quarter-Finals field

DOHA (Qatar) - Jordan deal Korea another heartbreak, highlighting the third gameday at FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2023.

The undefeated teams kept their records perfect while Iran and the Philippines got their second consecutive win. India also claimed their second straight win in historic fashion.

Australia's were finally able to clinch their ticket to the Quarter-Finals, taking up the last spot of direct qualification to join Japan, New Zealand, and China.

Meanwhile, the Qualification to Quarter-Finals matchups were also confirmed with some juicy rivalries to look forward to.

Exact time of each game to be confirmed.

Big wins for Japan, New Zealand, China, Australia, and the Philippines

Japan were only one point away from joining New Zealand, India, and China as teams to reach 100 points in their wins today after beating Saudi Arabia 99-43. Young Akatsuki Japan were led by a second great from Kenishiro Benedict who had 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals.

New Zealand handled their business against Bahrain, winning 117-43. The Junior Tall Blacks grabbed 75 rebounds, tied for the second-most amount of rebounds in a single game by a team in the U16 Asian Championship since the statistic was officially archived in 2013. Two players scored at least 20 points for New Zealand, Troy Plumtree (22 points) and Lachlan Crate (20 points).

China had no issues dealing with Kazakhstan in a 119-57 victory. Seven players scored in double-digits led by Boyuan Zhang who had 24 points.

Australia do not look like they will be slowing down, claiming another win 111-43 against Lebanon. The win officially clinches the defending champions their direct ticket to the Quarter-Finals of the competition. Dash Daniels led the way for the Crocs in this game with 21 points and had six players scoring in double-digits with all but one player scoring in this game.

History made again for India

After a historic win over Lebanon, India set new highs yet again with a 112-39 win over Sri Lanka.

The game saw the most amount of points scored by India in their history competing in the U16 Asian Championship as well as the largest margin of victory. Five players scored at least 10 points for India with Ankush leading all scorers with 22 points.

Jordan, Hijazi break Korea's heart with clutch basket

After losing their own lead in the third quarter, Jordan reversed the favor to come from behind and take the victory 62-59.

Omar Hijazi was the hero, not only for his overall performance of 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks, but for his late-game basket that game Jordan the lead for good with 30 seconds to go.

Iran break away in second quarter for second straight win

The game was close in the first quarter, but Iran took care of business for a 86-65 win over host Qatar.

Sina Mohammadi had a second straight game of scoring over 20 points with 26 points to go with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals.

Qatar had another big game from the ambitious Mohamed Massamba Ndao who had 24 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals for 30 EFF, but it was not enough to get Qatar's second win in the Group Phase.

Philippines claim back-to-back wins

The Philippines took control in the first quarter and rode the wave to a 75-52 win over Malaysia.

Kiefer Alas continues to be the Philippines' top performer, ending this game with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and one block and steal each. All players fielded for the Philippines scored at least one field goal in this game.

Upcoming games (21 September)

Qualification to Quarter-Finals

#25: Qatar vs India
#26: Iran vs Lebanon
#27: Jordan vs Malaysia
#28: Philippines vs Korea

Daily Highs

Efficiency: 34 - Omar Hijazi (JOR)
Points: 27 - Ankush (IND)
Rebounds: 18 - Chamindu Ma W Wijesinghe Mudiyanselage (SRI)
Assists: 9 - Hayden Jones (NZL), Elijah Williams (PHI)
Steals: 6 - Tajinderbir Singh (IND), Kenichiro Benedict (JPN)
Blocks: 5 - Jagmeet Singh