Lebanon qualify for first World Cup appearance in 13 years

BENGALURU (India) - Lebanon qualify for their first FIBA Basketball World Cup appearance in over a decade after defeating India for their second win in Window 4 of the Asian Qualifiers.

It was the first time playing at home for India in over 4 years and they kept it close against the in-form Lebanon side for the first five minutes. However, after bursting out to an 8-0 run in the first quarter, the Cedars stay ahead all the way through the finish line, 95-63.

All players on Lebanon’s side got on the scoreboard with at least two field goals where Jonathan Arledge led with 21 points with 3 three-pointers. Ali Mansour, Elie Chamoun, and Wael Arakji joined in on the double-digit scoring list.

Pranav Prince continues to standout for India and recorded 19 points in this game, a career-high at the national team level. 17-year-old Harsh Dagar also scored in his national team debut, only a few days after recently playing in the FIBA U18 Asian Championship 2022 in Tehran.

Turning points

The 8-0 stretch by Lebanon in the first quarter featured three straight baskets by Arledge inside and was capped off by a push shot from Ali Haidar in the paint. It was clear from there how much of an advantage Lebanon was going to have, not just in terms of inside presence, but also for how easily they were getting the ball there.

Game heroes

Wael Arakji’s 15 points might not pop out of the box score, but the fact that he shot 100 percent from the field (4-4 from downtown) with 0 turnovers is pretty admirable. Of course, he misses out on a “perfect” game with one missed free-throw.

But Arakji gets the win with Lebanon and World Cup qualification. He’ll probably have forgotten about that already.

Stats don’t lie

Lebanon shot 62.1 percent from the field and 65.2 percent from the three-point line, but only 57.1 percent from the charity stripe.

It looks weird, but a win is a win.

Bottom line

Lebanon are in the World Cup. The last time the Cedars made it to that stage was back in 2010 when the team was led by Fadi El Khatib. After heartbreakingly missing out back in 2019, Lebanon are among one of the first teams in the entire world - joining Finland, Cote d’Ivoire, and New Zealand - to punch their tickets.

FIBA