DOHA (Qatar) - Syria overcame a tough stand by Bahrain and came away with a pulsating 89-87 victory to book their ticket to the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, Monday night at the Al-Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall.
The crew saw their 13-point lead become just two twice inside the game's final 52.7 seconds and it didn't help that Myron Gordon missed the free throws that could have iced the game, but they found a lucky break when Mosti Rashed's decision to go after the winning shot backfired as his three-pointer missed before time expired.
As the final buzzer sounded, the wards of Coach Haytham Jamil and the rest of the squad erupted in jubilation as they clinched the second qualifying berth from Group F after Lebanon, who earlier beat UAE in another thrilling encounter, 91-88, at the Nouhad Nawfal Stadium to wrap up the Qualifiers with a perfect 6-0 slate.
Finishing with a 3-3 record, the Syrians have become the 12th team to secure a trip to the tournament proper set in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It also marks their third straight Asia Cup appearance.
Gordon top-scored in the win with 27 points, netting an efficiency of 28 as he shot 9-of-12 from the floor and collected 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal as well in the 39 minutes and 57 seconds he played.
Omar Cheikh Ali went 5-of-6 from beyond the arc to finish with 15 points, while Mohamad Bilal Atli submitted 12 points and 6 rebounds as they also managed to get payback against the Bahrainis.
It could be recalled that Syria bowed in their previous encounter back in Window 2 in Manama, 76-71, but not before staging a late-game rally that saw them threaten to reduce the record-setting night of Ahmed Haji - in which he nailed 11 triples - to a mere footnote, only to yield to a dagger by Subah Azzam in the final seconds.
Three months later and they got the job done, and it couldn't get any sweeter for them as they beat Bahrain in the virtual knockout for the remaining direct ticket to the Asia Cup, set to be played August 5-17.
Haji, who lit up the scoreboard with 35 in their November meeting, was held to only 15 points on 15 attempts, including a 4-of-12 clip from deep, as he was clearly the defense's main focus.
Wayne Chism led the way for Bahrain with 27 points and 19 rebounds, doing much of the lifting despite playing with a bandage on his head. Rashed, on the other hand, finished with 24 points.
Coach Jad El Hajj & Co. settled for third in Group F with a 2-4 card following the loss, and will have to go through the Qualifying Tournament for Third-Place Teams in a bid to reach the Asia Cup.
FIBA