BEIRUT: Lebanon’s national team suffered its fourth consecutive defeat at the William Jones Cup Tuesday when they were beaten 74-81 by the hosts Chinese Taipei.
Having lost their first three games against Mahram of Iran (89-74), Anyang KGC of South Korea (94-78) and West Asian rivals Jordan (87-68), the Cedars needed a win to lift their side. As of yet the team have failed to justify the high expectations that followed them into the tournament, showing no resistance in the final moments of games despite being ahead in the early stages.
Having lost their first three games against Mahram of Iran (89-74), Anyang KGC of South Korea (94-78) and West Asian rivals Jordan (87-68), the Cedars needed a win to lift their side. As of yet the team have failed to justify the high expectations that followed them into the tournament, showing no resistance in the final moments of games despite being ahead in the early stages.
The Lebanese side relies on the pick-and-roll system offensively, a strategy that has served them well over the years. Yet they demonstrated an inability to adapt their style of play when they faced the Taiwanese’s zonal defense, with the East Asian side clinical in their 3-point shooting to extend the winning margin at the end of the match.
Chinese Taipei last beat Lebanon 60-58 in a memorable match at the 2011 Asian Championship in Wuhan.
The Jones Cup is mainly used as preparation for the FIBA ASIA Cup, scheduled to be held in Tokyo next month, with the Lebanese lineup missing important members of the side such as Fadi al-Khatib, Ali Mahmoud, Charles Tabet and Elie Rustom.
Jean Abdelnour led the scoring for Lebanon with 19 points, with Hussein al-Khatib adding 13 points and American Jarrid Famous notching 13 points and 9 rebounds.
Lebanon will hope to grab their first win when they face Chinese Taipei-B Wednesday at 10 a.m. Beirut time.
In other news, the Lebanese youth team also suffered a heavy loss against South Korea 95-63 in the second round of the Asian U18 Championship in Ulaan Bataar.
Lebanon had opened up the second round with a crucial win over West Asian rivals Syria (91-72), and they knew they would face a tough task against the South Koreans who are having a fantastic run in the tournament so far, winning their last four outings by at least 20 points.
Head Coach Salim Chemali decided to rest some of his best players, ahead of their important match against Japan Wednesday, which will decide the side’s fate in the tournament.
If Lebanon lose by less than 10 points in their fixture with Japan the Cedars will finish in third place in Group A, facing the Philippines in the quarterfinal stage.
A loss by more than ten points would see Lebanon drop down to fourth place, which would mean a tie with West Asian champions Iran in the knockout stage. In the worst-case scenario, Lebanon would be eliminated if they were to lose by more than 36 points.
“We just lost to a better team,” Chemali told The Daily Star.
“We were pretty tired after Monday’s game against the Syrians, which required a lot of energy from the players, especially since the other team was excessively aggressive and some of our players were injured.
“With this in mind, I did my best to rest the key players because we need them to be in their best shape today.”
Japan, who are currently in fourth place in the group, lost to Syria in the preliminary round (73-71), but might prove dangerous with their fast paced offensive game.
“The East Asian teams are always tough because of their fast rhythm. However, I do believe that we can beat them if we are focused. The good thing is that we have many opportunities – even if we lose by less than 10, we will stay third,” Chemali said.
Lebanon play Japan Wednesday at 1 p.m. Beirut time.