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SYR / JPN – Syria clinch bronze
TEHRAN (FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Men): Syria staved off a spirited Japanese challenge and posted a 93-86 win in the bronze medal play-off on Friday.
The win put Syria on the podium after 18 years. The last time Syria bagged a medal was in 1990 at Nagoya, when they won the silver behind Japan.
The bronze also put Syria in the FIBA U19 World Championship for Men in New Zealand next year.
Samar Bawadekji scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half to put Syria ahead early in the game. And Belal Gneed scored 14 of his team-high 24 points in the fourth quarter.
In between, it was a veritable battle of wits with the Japanese, relying on their speed and some smart three-point plays, keeping the score close.
In fact, with little to choose between the two, the scoring in the middle two quarters was locked 39-39.
“Before the game I told the boys ‘Look nobody remembers if you finish fourth. But history can be made if we qualify for the World Championship.’ And the boys were motivated not to let go of the opportunity,” Syria coach George Zedan said.
“I also reminded the boys that our place in the semifinals was virtually a gift from God via the Chinese coach,” Zedan added.
“I know there’s a lot of loose talk about Syria playing the semifinals. Yes I agree we lost a lot of games. But I want to reiterate that we played well in all these games.”
Scores
Syria 93 (Belal Gneed 24, Samar Bawadekji 16) bt Japan 86 (Makoto Hiejima 25, Yuya Nagayoshi 20, Yusoke Karino 12). Quarterwise scores: 22-17, 41-28, 61-56.
S Mageshwaran
FIBA Asia
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