Defending champion and one of Asia’s formidable team Mahram of Iran was beaten by Riyadi of Lebanon. The Iranians were unable to match the power unleashed by the Lebanese through the leadership of Fadi El Khatib and Ismael Ahmad, two of Asia’s most popular basketball player.
With the win against Iran, Lebanon had secured the top spot in Group B at 2-0 while Mahram dropped at number 3 position behind Qatar that had a 2-0 standing also. The Philippine Team Smart Gilas Pilipinas leads the Group A in team standing with 2-0 win-loss card.
During the first quarter of the Lebanese games against the Iranians they were taking advantage of the slow tempo type of game and ended the quarter with 24-14 in favor of Riyadi. Mahram had committed early turn overs during the first quarters.
At the second quarter the Iranians had finally played with their usual performance and gained the lead over the Riyadi until the end of the first half. Riyadi still had the courage to depend the Iranian giving only a two-point advantage at the end of the first half with a score of 37-39 in favor of the Iranians.
The Iranians fought against the Lebanese and gave their best shots but they encountered problems with their outside shooting. They had committed some crucial turn overs which gave way for the Lebanese to capitalize over the lapses committed by the Iranians.
With the leadership of Fadi El Khatib who scored his team’s last eight point to secure a win against the two-time depending champion Mahram of Iran who were surprised and caught flat footed. Their defense could not match the intensity shown by Fadi El Khatib and the determination to win against the toughest team in the tournament. Riyadi wins with a score of 76-73.
The Riyadi of Lebanon will schedule to tacke against the equally aggressive Qatari team at around 6 PM Philippine time followed by the game between Philippines and Iraq at 8 PM.