Qatar remains unbeaten, beats Jordan in FIBA Asia

ELHADARY Mansour Atif of Qatar (light) vs HADRAB Mohammad FIBA Asia Photo by Nuki Sabio

MANILA, Philippines – Qatar broke away from a tight game in the third quarter and never looked back to beat slumping Jordan, 75-61, to start the second round of the 27th FIBA Asia men’s championship Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Qatar, which hiked its record to 3-0, gained momentum late in the pivotal third quarter and carried it over to the final frame to extend what was just a four-point halftime lead to a double-digit advantage behind the efforts of Jarvis Hayes and Yasseen Musa.

Hayes, the former NBA swingman, led in scoring with 15 points while Musa added 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Qatar faces the Philippines on Tuesday. The Filipinos take on the Japanese Monday at 8:30 p.m. in a crucial encounter, with Gilas Pilipinas looking to bounce back from its heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Chinese Taipei Saturday night.