FIBA/Tokyo
Lebanon had been in a festive mood after Wednesday’s announcement that the country will host for the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship.Some of those smiles are gone following the national team’s performance against Qatar in Tokyo less than 24 hours later.
If Lebanon are going to be serious contenders for a spot in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, they’re going to need a more ruthless approach against sides they could, and perhaps should beat.After winning three of their four games in the Preliminary Round of the FIBA Asia Cup, defending champion Lebanon took on a beleaguered Qatar side that had just a single victory but instead of rolling to victory, the Lebanese lost, 79-72.Clinton “Trey” Johnson III poured in 31 points on 14 of 24 shooting from the floor for Qatar, who broke open a tight game early in the fourth quarter when Daoud Musa Daoud and Mansour Atif Elhadary hit back-to-back three-balls for a 65-56 lead.Qatar stayed in command the rest of the way, leading by as many as 12.Johnson is a player that Qatar coach Tom Wisman wants to spark the team for the rest of this tournament.“I have maintained throughout that Trey makes a difference,” Wisman told FIBA Asia after the game.“Today we saw how huge that could be.”Lebanon didn’t help their cause at the free-throw line, converting 10 of their 19 attempts. Fadi El Khatib, the veteran power forward of Lebanon who had presented his country’s successful bid to host next year’s Asia Championship, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists.Lebanon had led by as many as five in the first half and they out-rebounded Qatar 45-32 but Wisman’s team won the day.In the build-up to the FIBA Asia Cup, Wisman had said he is trying to get Qatar into the type of form that will make them serious contenders for a spot in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.The winners of the FIBA Asia Cup will earn an automatic ticket to next year’s FIBA Asia Championship. The top three sides in Lebanon in 2013 will claim berths in Spain.Next up at the FIBA Asia Cup for Qatar is Japan. The Japanese pulled away from China in their quarter-final and won, 60-50.Kosuke Takeuchi, who played for Japan when they hosted the FIBA World Championship six years ago, had 18 points and 10 rebounds against China.Two other sides with aspirations of playing at the World Cup, the Philippines and Iran, meet in the other semi-final of the FIBA Asia Cup.