The Lebanon national men's basketball team renewed its victory over its Syrian counterpart with a score of (87-78) officially in the first match of Group 6 of the "first window" of the Asian qualifiers for the Asian Cup, which took place on Friday evening at the Fayyaha Hall in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in front of a large crowd. Lebanon had previously won against Syria last Tuesday in a friendly match as part of the "Beirut Cup" with a score of (94-83) at the Ghazir Club.
Lebanon’s win (ranked 28th in the world) on Friday against Syria (ranked 71st in the world) came after a strong Lebanese performance in the first three quarters, witnessed by everyone in the stadium and through television screens. The Lebanese players, who were missing Karim Azedin, Karim Zainoun, Jad Khalil, Ali Mansour, and Ali Haidar, dominated the three quarters and successfully set the pace from the beginning, allowing Lebanon to start its qualifiers with a deserving win while aiming for the upcoming match against Bahrain, which will take place at 9 PM on next Monday (February 26) at the "Nohad Naufal" complex in Dhour Choueir.
With Lebanon leading by 20 points at the end of the third quarter, the fourth quarter witnessed a slight Lebanese slackening; however, the players from the Cedar country managed to secure the win by a margin of 9 points in front of a large crowd supporting the Syrian team. The Lebanese national coach Jad Al-Haj started the match with the lineup of Ali Mahzar, Hayek Kiookjian, Norville Bell, Mark Khoury (Bobo), who closely shadowed the Syrian naturalized player Blake, and Sergio Darwish, making substitutions throughout the match.
The start was explosive for Lebanon, as they quickly led (12-4), but the Syrian team regained composure and took the lead (16-15) — their only lead in the match — before the Lebanese managed to regain control, ending the first quarter in their favor (28-22). In the second quarter, the Lebanon team applied pressure and showcased their players, especially with the entry of Wail Arakji, Gerard Hadidian, and Amir Saud, with standout performances from Norville Bell, who scored several spectacular dunks, allowing Lebanon to extend their lead to (40-29) following notable collective play, ending the second quarter with a Lebanese lead of (51-36).
In the third quarter, the "Lebanese machine" continued its scoring spree, executing Coach Al-Haj's plan to dominate the Syrian team, finishing the third quarter with Lebanon ahead by twenty points (76-56). The Syrian players entered the fourth quarter with a "life or death" mentality, succeeding in controlling the final quarter and cutting the deficit to seven points (72-79) amid a significant drop in the Lebanese team's performance. However, a three-pointer from Amir Saud restored Lebanon's ten-point lead (82-72), bringing things back on track for the Lebanese side, concluding the fourth quarter and the match with a clear Lebanese victory by nine points (87-78), allowing Coach Jad Al-Haj to outclass Syrian Coach Facundo Sebastián Partisi in the end.
Scorers for Lebanon included: Wail Arakji (19 points), Norville Bell (17), Amir Saud (team captain) (12), Gerard Hadidian (11), Mark Khoury (11), Sergio Darwish (7), Hayek Kiookjian (6), Ali Mahzar (4). Jefion Black was the top scorer for the Syrian team with 28 points.
Here is the remaining schedule for Lebanon in the Asian qualifiers for the Asian Cup:
- Monday, February 26 - Lebanon vs. Bahrain in Lebanon.
- Second window:
- November 22, 2024 - Lebanon hosts the United Arab Emirates
- November 25, 2024 - Lebanon hosts Syria
- Third window:
- February 21, 2025 - Bahrain hosts Lebanon
- February 24, 2025 - United Arab Emirates hosts Lebanon.
