Qatar Beats Kazakhstan, Will Face China in Battle for Fifth

Manila, August 10 (QNA) - Qatar led for majority of the game, fending off multiple rally attempts by Kazakhstan en route to a 72-67 victory, early Sunday at the MOA Arena, in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. As a result of the win, Qatar will face off against China in the battle for fifth place. Kazakhstan on the other hand plays Jordan for seventh. Kazakhstan actually led early for the first three minutes of the game, until Daoud Mosa Daoud equalized things at six-all. Five straight by Qatar then gave them a lead they didn't relinquish the rest of the way, 11-6, 6:11 left in the initial period. After Qatar started the second period armed with a 20-15 lead, a two-point by Baker Ahmad Mohammed gave them their first double-digit advantage at the 6:26 mark, 30-19. Kazkahstan however was able to make some headway as baskets by Timur Sultanov and Mikhail Yevstigneyev made it a single-digit affair heading into the intermission, 39-32. Come the third, the difference between the two sides stayed at four for nearly half the period, 41-37. However, a 17-2 run by Qatar put them far ahead, 58-39 on a split at the line by Ali Turki Ali, 1:48 left. Kazakhstan did manage six straight to end the quarter, down 58-45. A triple by Abdulrahman Saad briefly put Qatar on top by double-digits again, 63-52, 7:19 left, but that was the last time it happened in the game. Yevstigneyev and Qatar pulled their way back into the thick of things, closing to within two, 65-63, 3:12 left. Off a timeout though, Yasseen Musa nailed two free throws, and then after three fruitless attempts by his side's foes, found Ali for a deuce and a 69-63 Qatar lead, 2:04 left. Kazkahstan stayed stuck at 63 points until under a minute left, when Yevstigneyev finally broke their dry spell with a put-back of a missed three-pointer, 71-65. On the next play though, Ali missed a triple try but tracked down his own misfire with time winding down. That forced Kazakhstan to foul, but Mansour Atif Elhadary earned a split, that was enough of a buffer between the two teams with 11 seconds to go. Qatar won without former NBA player Jarvis Hayes logging any playing time. Yaseen Musa led his team in scoring with 18 markers on 54 percent shooting. Daoud Mosa Daoud added 14 points off the bench, while another reserve, Baker Ahmad Mohammed, chipped in with 12. Mikhail Yevstigneyev led all scorers with 24 big points, and he added 13 rebounds for a double-double. However, he was the only Kazakhstan player in double figures. Jerry Jonson managed nine points on 3-of-14 shooting, while Rustam Yargaliyev and Timur Sultanov added eight apiece. Both teams shot 39 percent from the field, which is why Qatar's 32-12 lead in charity shot attempts turned out to be a game-changer. Kazakhstan got advantages in second-chance points (13-2) and points off turnovers (18-), but they just couldn't get the job done down the stretch. (QNA)