Qatar Basketball

Qatar thumps Hong Kong, tops Group B

Qatar put the clamps on Hong Kong early on to cruise to an 87-64 win and a sweep of Group B in the 27th FIBA Asia Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Naturalized player Jarvis Hayes was unstoppable in the first three quarters of the game as he amassed 25 points to lead all scorers. Hong Kong tried to adjust in the payoff period, applying a “box and one” special zone defense to stymie Hayes. But Daoud Mosa Daoud took over the game and unloaded a couple of triples, and veteran guard Saad Ali and Ali Turki drilled in one trey each to give the Qataris their biggest lead of the game at 76-51, with only 6:19 remaining in playtime.

The undersized Hong Kong gambled with the zone defense against the taller and heftier Qatar. But the Qataris came ready with its arsenal as they unleashed a total of 15 three-pointers out of 40 tries for a respectable 38% shooting clip. They also outrebounded Hong Kong, 44-35, and had more assists, 21-12. Hong Kong shot 9 out of 28 from behind the arc.

Daoud finished with 17 markers and five boards. Chan Siu Wing scored 18 points for Hong Kong.