Lebanon and Qatar clinch fifth and seventh places respectively

CHANGSHA-HUNAN (2015 FIBA Asia Championship) - Lebanon closed out their journey in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship with back-to-back wins to give themselves a small window to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.

The Lebanese looked to be in firm control of their game against Korea, but the Cedars had to weather a late rally from their East Asian foes to nail fifth-place, 88-87. For the second game in a row, Bassel Bawji came to play, unloading 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead Lebanon, while Charles Tabet and Omar El Ayoubi added 19 and 16 points respectively.

Korea, meanwhile, were paced by a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double from Kim Jong-Kyu. Cho Sung-Min scored 16 points and Lee Jong-Hyun dropped 15 points in support. This was Korea’s fifth win in nine games.

Despite not finishing on the podium or even among the top four, Lebanon gave itself a glimmer of hope to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. In the even that any of the second to fourth place teams in Asia host one of the three FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs) next year, Lebanon will be invited to participate. This means that there is still a chance, albeit a modest one, that the Cedars may yet make it to the Olympic stage.

Korea, meanwhile, finish outside of the top four for the first time since 2009 and for only the second time in history. With key players like Yang Dong-Geun, Cho Sung-Min, Kim Tae-Sul, and Moon Tae-Young moving to the twilight of their careers, it sure looks like rebuilding will be the name of the game for this once fearsome powerhouse.

In the other classification game, Qatar didn't run into any trouble in drubbing India, 84-58, to notch their fourth victory and finish in seventh place.

Like Korea, many of Qatar's key players like Daoud Musa Daoud, Erfan Ali Saeed, and Mohammed Yousef will be entering their mid-30s soon, so it’s highly likely that this team will undergo a major overhaul in the next cycle of Asian competition. Finishin seventh, however, is a respectable feat considering how they played without Qatari icon Yaseen Musa for the first time in recent memory and that they came out of the "Group of Death" in the preliminary round.

A pair of youngsters in Hassan Mohamed and Abduallah Matalkeh led the way for Al Annabi. Mohamed scored 28 points on the strength of 7 three-pointers, while Matalkeh added 16 points and 9 rebounds in a starting role. Qatar were better on both ends here, shooting 53.2 percent from the field and limiting India to just a 36.5 percent clip. The Gulf squad also forced 19 Indian turnovers, which they converted to 20 points.

India had a promising run in this competition, winning three of their nine matches and finishing in the top eight for the first time since 2003.

To nobody's surprise, it was Amjyot Singh doing much of the damage here, scoring 21 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and hitting 2 triples to pace the South Asian side. Promising young swingman Arvind Arumugam also turned some heads, scoring 16 points and grabbing 9 boards for coach Sat Prakash’s team.

Despite losing all their games in the knockout phase, India have nothing to be ashamed of. They have improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years, from finishing fourteenth in 2011, to eleventh in 2013, and now in the top eight. If guys like Amjyot, Amrit Pal Singh, and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi continue their improvement, and if their national program gets more international exposure, India may be a title contender in the next cycle of Olympic qualification.

FIBA