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KAZ / LIB – Kazakhstan win in second Overtime
TEHRAN (FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Men): Kazakhstan staged a fantastic third quarter rally to bridge the deficit, then level the scores and push the issue into Overtime before pipping Lebanon 106-103 in second Overtime in a Group I Quarterfinal round game on Sunday.
Lebanon guard Ahmad Ibrahim had his best day of the tournament in scoring – with a staggering 49 point tournament-high – but committed the most ludicrous of the violations in the dying moments of the second Overtime.
With 25 seconds left, Anton Arsenyev scored his third three-pointer for the game to put Kazakhstan 104-103 ahead. Arsenyev, deservingly, topped the scoring for Kazakhstan with 30 points.
Lebanon played the ball in and Joseph Zaloum attempted to set up Ibrahim with a long pass and in his anxiety to drive into the lane Ibrahim traveled.
That set the ball rolling for Kazakhstan who converted once each on the two fouls on them and clinched the issue.
Kazakhstan trailed 31-44 at half-time and Lebanon seemed cruising.
But Omirzak Akhmet scored 11of his 14 points in the third quarter as Kazakhstan outscored Lebanon 29-19.
That rally spurred the Kazakhs to level the score at 79-79, when Akhmet converted a free-throw with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter.
Moments later Arsenyev made no mistake with both his free throws to give Kazakhstan the lead for the first time in the game.
Vincent El Khouri’s three-point play put Lebanon back in the lead, but Arsenyev converted a free-throw to stretch the game into the Overtime.
The teams looked edgy and nervous and the first five minutes of extension failed to break the deadlock, with Berik Ismail’s two free-throws after the hooter, confirmed only after checking with video evidence for the legitimacy of his claim to the free-throws.
And in the second Overtime, Lebanon let go of the opportunity to nail the issue when Ibrahim committed his violation.
Scores
Kazakhstan 106 (Anton Arsenyev 30, Alexander Ledovskikh 17, Omirzak Akhmet 14) bt Lebanon 103 (Ahmad Ibrahim 49, Vincent El Khouri 23). Quarterwise Scores: 20-22, 31-44, 60-63, 82-82. 1st OT: 92-92.
S Mageshwaran
FIBA Asia
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