Syrian Basketball team qualifies for Asia finals after beating Qatar

Doug Herring Jr.

Douglas Herring Jr. (191-G-87, college: Utica) guided Syria to a 67-56 win over Qatar Monday at Prince Hamza Hall in Amman to formally book its spot in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup. The new naturalized player orchestrated the Syrians' 9-0 charge to break away from a 54-all deadlock in the final 5:07 to a 63-54 lead with 2:15 left to play. It was a memorable first win for Herring, who led the way with a near-triple-double showing with 16 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and four steals. Rami Merjaneh (183-PG-83) corralled 14 points, two dimes, and two steals, while Kemal Canbolat (211-C-94) got 13 points, eight boards, and two assists in the victory. Syria actually ended up tied for second place in Group E with Saudi Arabia as both nations held identical 3-3 records. The Syrians, however, got the tiebreaker based on their head-to-head matchups. Syria won, 75-70 in overtime back in the first window in Feb. 23, 2020 in Jeddah, while Saudi Arabia only won by two points, 79-77 in overtime last Saturday. This makes Syria the seventh nation to earn its ticket after hosts Indonesia, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, and Kazakhstan. Saudi Arabia, nonetheless, will still have a chance to make it through to the continental tilt as it gets one last chance in the second round of the qualifiers between the group third-placers just before the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup in August. Abdulrahman Saad (185-G/F-96) carried the fight for the Qataris with 22 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, but had little support from the rest of the team. Qatar ended the qualifiers with a 1-5 card, missing the continental tourney for the first time since 1999 in Fukuoka, Japan.
Courtesy of: spin.ph



Tags : DOUGLAS HERRING JR., ZHUHAI WOLF WARRIORS, FIBA ASIA CUP BASKETBALL