Lebanon and the Philippines face off on Thursday August 25 at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex in Zouk Mikhael on Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast. They’re playing for a chance to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup next year.
UPDATE: Final Score LEBANON 85 – 81 PHILIPPINES
This is a huge win for Lebanon. If we beat India on Monday (Aug. 29) then we will officially qualify for the FIBA World Cup. Words cannot describe what that would mean for us to see our basketball team make it and represent Lebanon https://t.co/vlfGtnAgbT
Lebanon vs Philippines: FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers
The Gilas Pilipinas lineup includes Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson and NBA hopeful Kai Sotto. They’ll be looking to upset a Lebanese Cedars team led by shooting guard Wael Arakji. The Cedars that inspired the world with their impressive run during the FIBA Asia Cup, where they finished as runners-up to Australia.
Who is looking like the better squad?
Statistically, Lebanon look better.
2 Pointers Lebanon 54.4% vs Philippines 48.6%
3 Pointers Lebanon 37% vs Philippines 21.6%
Free-Throws Lebanon 78.9% vs Philippines 65.8%
Lebanon also won 83.3% percent of its games in Group C, with the Philippines just winning half of their games in Group A. The Philippines leads in offensive rebounds, with 14 to Lebanon’s 10.
Lebanon’s run at the FIBA Asia Cup
It’s no secret that Lebanon has been going through crisis after crisis for the past few years. That’s why Lebanon’s incredible run at the Asia championships inspired so many. The players made it a point to emphasize how hard it had been for them to prepare for competition in a crumbling country.
The last time Lebanon and the Philippines faced off was during the group stage of the Asia Cup back in July. Lebanon won that contest 95-80.
Who will the referees be?
The three referees will be Yevgeniy Mikheyev (Kazakhstan), Mohammad Doost (Iran) and Wissam Zein (Syria).
