Saturday’s Top 5 Players at Manila OQT

MANILA (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Canada and France prevailed in today’s Semi-Finals of the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Manila. As always, several players had standout performances.

FIBA.com takes a closer look at the Top 5 performers from Saturday’s Semi-Finals matches.

Thomas Heurtel
Heurtel may not be the biggest name on the French roster, but he surely had the biggest game in their win over the 12 Giant Men of Turkey. Heurtel stepped up by draining 7 of his 11 field goal attempts, leading France’s bench mob, which thoroughly outplayed their Turkish counterparts, with 17 points and 4 assists.

Melvin Ejim
New Zealand tried to mount a big rally in the fourth quarter, but Ejim’s heroics kept the Tall Blacks at bay. Ejim provided a ton of energy and hustle for Canada, and he eventually finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

Cory Joseph
Joseph rebounded from a lackluster showing on Day 2 by dropping 23 points on New Zealand. He also added 5 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals in an awe-inspiring showcase of playmaking expertise. He is expected to be in prime shape for the Final against France.

Omer Asik
Asik had his best game in Turkey’s final stand. The NBA big man scored 19 points and grabbed 5 rebounds while shooting 8-of-11 from the field. He finished with an efficiency rating of 20, though Turkey struggled to keep up with France’s pace.

Tristan Thompson
With Kiwi big man Isaac Fotu sidelined by a calf injury early in the first half, Thompson pretty much had his way in the paint. The recently crowned NBA champion put up 13 points and 10 rebounds for an efficiency rating of 20 to help lift Canada into the OQT Final.

FIBA