Ahmedabad, 14 August (H.S.): Defending champions Australia made a commanding start to their FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2026 campaign on Thursday, thrashing Thailand 102-32 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex.
Australia's Yahya Basaran led the scoring with 27 points, while Apirach Boonsrang was Thailand's top scorer with seven points.
In the second game of the day, the Philippines edged Chinese Taipei 89-88 in a thrilling encounter. The Philippines had established a commanding 53-29 lead by the end of the second quarter, but Chinese Taipei mounted a strong comeback in the final two quarters to turn the match into a tense contest. However, they fell just one point short of victory.
Chinese Taipei's Jia-Han Huang was the game's leading scorer with 28 points, while Jan Bennett Cagurungan contributed 22 points for the Philippines. Liu Ting-Kuan and Huang Jia-Han also made valuable contributions of 21 and 15 points, respectively.
New Zealand had to withstand a determined challenge from Syria before securing a 67-58 victory. Jackson Ball led New Zealand's scoring with 19 points, while Arana Robertson added 11.
The duo helped steady New Zealand in the fourth quarter after Syria attempted to fight back from a 60-45 deficit.
For Syria, Taim Aldassouqi scored 15 points, while Mzak Mzak contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.
In another match, Bahrain defeated Lebanon 74-68. Hassan Abdulqadir and Mahdi Habib were Bahrain's leading scorers, with 19 points apiece.
Lebanon repeatedly fought its way back and reduced Bahrain's advantage to single digits on several occasions, but Bahrain held its nerve to secure the victory. Johnny Sawma was Lebanon's top scorer with 27 points, while Jeffrey Khairallah added 14.
The tournament has returned to India after 22 years, with 16 teams competing in the championship. The teams have been divided into four groups. The tournament will conclude on August 23.
The top four teams in the competition will qualify for the 2027 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, scheduled to be held in Pardubice, Czechia, from June 26 to July 4, 2027.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
