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Tribune News Network
Doha
The action in Group E of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers on Monday confirmed how competitive the teams are as hosts Qatar were edged in Overtime 73-67 after the scored were locked 67-67 in a clash which had its own dramatic twists and turns at the Al Gharafa Sports Club.
The two teams went toe-to-toe through the entire game with neither side building up a lead up to double-digits. Qatar were able to capitalise on Saudi Arabia’s failure to control the ball, turning their opponent’s 19 turnovers into 25 points. However, they weren’t able to score efficiently enough at only 31.9 percent field goal shooting.
Despite their turnover woes, Saudi Arabia facilitated their inside advantage and dominated the paint. Big men Mohamed Alsuwailem and Mohammed Almarwani combined for 27 points on 12-15 shooting, constantly causing trouble for Qatar.
Still, the edge wasn’t enough for Saudi Arabia to seal the deal in regulation as the game was played for an extra five minutes of overtime to decide the winner.
From there, it was the Khalid Abdel Gabar show. His midrange jumper with less than one minute to go drew comparison to another famous clutch shot. He doubled-down with a three-pointer a few seconds later to put the nail in the coffin. Abdel Gabar finished the game with 15 points in the 73-67 win for Saudi Arabia.
With the results of these two games, all four teams of Group E will leave the Qatar bubble with one win and one loss each.
Iran are still sitting at the top of the standings with a 3-1 record. Syria are at second-place with a 2-2 record and the tiebreaker over third-placed Saudi Arabia who are also 2-2. Qatar remain at the bottom with a 1-3 record, though the gap is close enough for quick changes in the standings at the next window.
Qatar-Saudi Arabia Scoreline: Saudi Arabia 73 Qatar 67 (Q1: Qatar 21-17; Q2: Saudi 20-16; Q3: Saudi 13-10; Q4: Qatar 13-10; OT1: Saudi 13-7).
Doha
The action in Group E of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers on Monday confirmed how competitive the teams are as hosts Qatar were edged in Overtime 73-67 after the scored were locked 67-67 in a clash which had its own dramatic twists and turns at the Al Gharafa Sports Club.
The two teams went toe-to-toe through the entire game with neither side building up a lead up to double-digits. Qatar were able to capitalise on Saudi Arabia’s failure to control the ball, turning their opponent’s 19 turnovers into 25 points. However, they weren’t able to score efficiently enough at only 31.9 percent field goal shooting.
Despite their turnover woes, Saudi Arabia facilitated their inside advantage and dominated the paint. Big men Mohamed Alsuwailem and Mohammed Almarwani combined for 27 points on 12-15 shooting, constantly causing trouble for Qatar.
Still, the edge wasn’t enough for Saudi Arabia to seal the deal in regulation as the game was played for an extra five minutes of overtime to decide the winner.
From there, it was the Khalid Abdel Gabar show. His midrange jumper with less than one minute to go drew comparison to another famous clutch shot. He doubled-down with a three-pointer a few seconds later to put the nail in the coffin. Abdel Gabar finished the game with 15 points in the 73-67 win for Saudi Arabia.
With the results of these two games, all four teams of Group E will leave the Qatar bubble with one win and one loss each.
Iran are still sitting at the top of the standings with a 3-1 record. Syria are at second-place with a 2-2 record and the tiebreaker over third-placed Saudi Arabia who are also 2-2. Qatar remain at the bottom with a 1-3 record, though the gap is close enough for quick changes in the standings at the next window.
Qatar-Saudi Arabia Scoreline: Saudi Arabia 73 Qatar 67 (Q1: Qatar 21-17; Q2: Saudi 20-16; Q3: Saudi 13-10; Q4: Qatar 13-10; OT1: Saudi 13-7).
