November 8, 2021

Group play continued on Monday with the last two teams making their debut.  Syria naturalized Randi Brown before the tournament and she proved to be the key in their 78-71 win over Iran.  They will play Lebanon on Tuesday for the direct spot in the semifinals while Iran knows that they will have the longer path to promotion.  Naturalized players were also at the center of the Group B game as hosts Jordan made the biggest splash and won their opener 76-64.  Indonesia could have clinched the semifinal spot with a win or helped themselves in a potential tiebreaker situation if they could have kept the game closer.

Group A:

Iran vs. Syria 71-78 IRI Shojaeikhnehshahri 18/10r Esmaeilzadeh Soudjani 14/11r Yazdian Tehrani 10 Eissaianjangi 6/12r Abdolvand 6 Rasoulipour Khameneh 6 Shahriari 4 Khodaverdian 3 Vakili 2 Pourheidari 2 Golmohammadi 0 Foroutanfard 0 SYR Brown 26/7r Sulaiman 13 Bshara 11 Hakimeh 10 Skran 9/7r Mamlouk 4 Mbayed 4 Chalabi 1 Aghnanian Aslanian 0 Daibess 0 Ajjan 0 Magarian DNP

Group B:

Indonesia vs. Jordan 64-76 INA Dewi 17 Pierre-Louis 13/9r Orville 7 Sophia 6 Aggraeni 6 Kahol 5 Putri 5 Sutjiono 3 Karen 2 Retong 0/7a Sumiati DNP Candra DNP JOR Cloud 19/7r/9a Al Hinn 19 Najjar 11 Abdo 10 Abu Jbara 6 Haddad 5 Fadda 4 Ali Nafi 2 Al Assi DNP Shehadeh DNP Al Shiyyab DNP Shahatit DNP

November 7, 2021

The second division in Asia started their tournament on Sunday in Amman, Jordan with six teams looking for the trophy and a spot in the next Division A tournament.  Group A started play as the top team in each group will qualify for the semifinals.  There was a lot of curiosity about what kind of team that Iran would be able to field in their return to this stage and early returns are promising for them to offer a challenge as Lebanon did just enough in the second half to win 66-64.  Indonesia is attempting to increase their profile in international basketball and part of that was naturalizing a player for this tournament.  It paid off immediately as Kim Pierre-Louis led them alongside Henny Sutjiono to a 79-69 win over Zalina Kurazova and Kazakhstan, which would have been considered a tournament favorite before teams unveiled their new rosters.

Group A:

Lebanon vs. Iran 66-64 LBN Bakhos 17/6r Akl 15/12a Denson 10/7r Fayad 9 Moukaddem 6 Mokdad 4/7r El Charif 4 Fares 1 Toros 0 Gyokchian DNP Zeinoun DNP Mansour DNP IRI Vakili 16 Eissaianjangi 14/13r Esmaeilzadeh Soudjani 11 Shahriari 9 Yazdian Tehrani 8/9r Rasoulipou Khameneh 2 Abdolvand 2/7a Shojaeikohnehshahri 2 Khodaverian 0 Pourheidari 0 Golmohammadi 0 Foroutanfard 0

Group B:

Kazakhstan vs. Indonesia 69-79 KAZ Kurazova 26/8r Alishauskaite 13 Yagodkina 9 Ilyassova 6 Astapenko 5 Beschastnova 4 Koroleva 2/8r Otegenova 2 Mirsagatova 2 Tutkishova 0 Bagmet 0 Yerkebay DNP INA Pierre-Louis 31/15r Sutjiono 21 Sophia 11/9r Orville 4 Dewi 3 Anggraeni 3 Kahol 2 Sumiati 2 Karen 2 Retong 0/6r/10a Putri 0 Candra 0

October 3, 2021

The final day of games on Sunday started with the bronze medal game as Australia captured it 88-58 over South Korea.  China knew that this was their chance to win the tournament and had the lead going into the final quarter, but Soari Miyazaki and Monica Okoye helped the reigning champions keep their crown with a comeback 78-73 win.

3rd Place:

Australia vs. South Korea 88-58 AUS Whitcomb 15/9r/8a Garbin 14 Aokuso 10/7r Froling 10 Wehrung 8 Sharp 8 Scherf 7/7r Nicholson 6 Melbourne 6 Mangakahia 4 Wallace 0 Shelley 0 KOR Park J-H 17/6r Kim D-B 11 Kim M-J 7 Kang 6 Bae 4 Shin 4 Park H-J 4 An 3 Yang 2 Jin 0 Choi 0 Yoon DNP

Final:

Japan vs. China 78-73 JPN Miyazaki 26/7r/11a Okoye 21 Mawuli 13 Hayashi 6 Yamamoto 6 Nakada 4 Miyashita 2 Akaho 0/8r Todo 0 Nemoto 0 Nagata 0 Nishioka 0 CHN Huang 18/7r Li YR 16/11r Yang 11/7a Li Y 11 Zhang 6 Wang 5 Han 4 Wu 2 Pan 0 Yang 0 Li M DNP Li YF 0

September 30, 2021

The knockout round started on Thursday with Park Hye-Jin and South Korea taking the lead into halftime only to see Taiwan come back to tie it in the third quarter before they recovered for an 80-74 win.  New Zealand figured that they would never have a better shot at Australia, but Sami Whitcomb would not let that happen in a 72-61 win.  The result meant that South Korea, Japan, and China will be the three teams that join Australia in this region in the world championship qualifying tournaments.

South Korea vs. Taiwan 80-74 KOR Park H-J 22 Kang 15 Bae 14 Jin 8 Choi 5/8r Park J-H 4/6r Kim D-B 4 Shin 4 Yang 2 Kim M-J 2 An 0 Yoon DNP TPE Peng 18 Chen 9 Liu 9 Chu 7 Cheng 6/7r Lin T 6 Han 6 Tai 5 Lin Y-T 5 Lin H-F 3 Lin W-L 0 Wang DNP

Australia vs. New Zealand 72-61 AUS Whitcomb 29/7r/6a Scherf 13/6r Garbin 10 Sharp 6 Froling 5 Nicholson 4 Wehrung 3 Wallace 2 Aokuso 0/7r Melbourne 0 Mangakahia DNP Shelley DNP NZL C. Leger-Walker 17 K. Leger-Walker 12/6a Purcell 7 Goulding 7 Paalvast 7 Davidson 6 Boagni 3 Hippolite 2 Karaitiana 0 Taia 0 Blair 0 Richards DNP

Relegation Game:

The last game of the day was for the right to stay in Division A at the next tournament and it ended up being quite exciting.  India took the lead, but Janine Pontejos kept the Philippines close and then Khate Castillo helped them establish a lead and keep it for a 74-70 win.

India vs. Philippines 70-74 IND P. Kumar 15/12r S. Kumar 12/7r Limaye 10/13r Kumari 10 Masilamani 9/7a Arvind 7 Nixon 7 Yadav 0 Rani 0 Udayakumar DNP Chenganamattathil DNP Mohan DNP PHI Pontejos 22 Castillo 22 Bernardino 9/11r/7a Clarin 8 Castro 4/6r Tongco 3/6r Cabinbin 3 Nabalan 3 Fajardo 0 Prado 0 Cayabyab 0 Pingol DNP

September 29, 2021

The last day of the group stage was on Wednesday with the automatic berths in the semifinals as well as the spots in the relegation game being determined.

Group A:

South Korea knew that this would be one of their best chances to defeat Japan and played like it in the first game of the day, carrying a lead into the fourth quarter before the champions showed their mettle in coming back for a 67-62 win.  New Zealand took care of business and sent India to the game to play to remain in Division A 109-49.

Japan vs. South Korea 67-62 JPN Miyazaki 18/7r/9a Akaho 18/7r Okoye 10 Mawuli 6 Hayashi 5 Nakada 4 Yamamoto 4 Miyashita 2 Todo 0 Nemoto 0 Nishioka DNP Nagata DNP KOR Choi 16/6r Park H-J 14 Kim D-B 10/7r Kang 9 Park J-H 6 An 4/7a Shin 2 Jin 1 Bae 0 Yoon DNP Kim M-J DNP Yang DNP

New Zealand vs. India 109-49 NZL Davidson 18/11r Goulding 18 Boagni 13/9r Blair 13 C. Leger-Walker 13 Karaitiana 11 Purcell 6 Taia 6 Paalvast 5 Hippolite 4/7a Richards 2 K. Leger-Walker 0 IND Arvind 12 S. Kumar 10/6r Nixon 7 Masilamani 6 Rani 5 P. Kumar 4 Udayakumar 3/6r Yadav 2 Kumari 0 Limaye 0 Cheganamattathil 0 Mohan DNP

Standings: Japan 3-0, South Korea 2-1, New Zealand 1-2, India 0-3

Group B:

The game for the top spot in this group went to China as they used a strong second half to get past Sami Whitcomb and Australia 82-64.  The Philippines entered hoping that this would be year that they could break into the top six, but a good game from Afril Bernardino was not enough with Taiwan winning 93-52 to take the last spot in the knockout round.

China vs. Australia 82-64 CHN Han 16/11r Li Y 15 Huang 12/8r Yang 12 Zhang 7/6r Wu 7 Pan 5 Li YR 4 Wang 2 Li YF 2 Yang 0 Li M DNP AUS Whitcomb 24/7r Wallace 14 Froling 7 Garbin 6 Scherf 5 Melbourne 3 Wehrung 2 Sharp 2 Mangakahia 1 Shelley 0 Aokuso 0 Nicholson 0

Taiwan vs. Philippines 93-52 TPE Lin W-Y 19 Cheng 14/7r Liu 13 Lin Y-T 8 Tai 8 Chen 7 Chu 7/6a Lin T 6/6r Peng 5 Han 4/6r Wang 2 Lin H-F 0 PHI Bernardino 24/14r Castro 14/6r Fajardo 5 Pontejos 4 Nabalan 3 Tongco 2 Cabinbin 0 Clarin 0 Castillo 0 Pingol 0 Prado 0 Cayabyab 0

Standings: China 3-0, Australia 2-1, Taiwan 1-2, Philippines 0-3

Bracket:

Japan vs. winner Australia vs. New Zealand
China vs. winner South Korea vs. Taiwan

September 28, 2021

Group A:

Play started in this group on Tuesday and New Zealand had the early lead, but Japan won 62-50.  India kept it respectable for a half before losing to South Korea 107-69.  That sets up the expected consequences for Wednesday’s games as Japan and South Korea square off for the top spot and the place in the semifinals and New Zealand and India play for a spot in the knockout round instead of having to play for Division A survival.

New Zealand vs. Japan 50-62 NZL Boagni 9 K. Leger-Walker 9 Purcell 7 Davidson 6/6r Goulding 5 C. Leger-Walker 4 Hippolite 3 Blair 3 Karaitiana 2 Paalvast 2 Taia 0 Richards 0 JPN Mawuli 15 Hayashi 12 Okoye 10 Akaho 9 Nakada 6/8r Miyazaki 6/7a Todo 2 Yamamoto 2 Nagata 0 Nemoto 0 Miyashita 0 Nishioka 0

India vs. South Korea 69-107 IND Limaye 16/11r P. Kumar 12/6r S. Kumar 9 Arvind 7 Yadav 7 Udayakumar 6/12r Nixon 5 Masilamani 4/6a Kumari 3 Rani 0 Mohan 0 Chenganamattathil DNP KOR Kang 18 Park J-H 5/6r Park H-J 15 Shin 14 Bae 13 Kim M-J 9 An 7/14a Choi 5 Yang 4/6r Jin 4 Kim D-B 3 Yoon 0

Group B:

Li Yueru helped China press their advantage in the post in a 124-50 win over Taiwan.  Keely Froling and Lauren Nicholson led Australia past the Philippines 120-56.  That sets up a game against China for the top spot in the group and the berth in the semifinals while Taiwan and the Philippines will try to avoid the relegation game and instead grab the last knockout round place.

Taiwan vs. China 50-124 TPE Peng 15 Liu 11 Lin Y-T 9 Lin T 3 Chen 3 Wang 3 Cheng 2 Chu 2 Lin H-F 2 Tai 0 Han 0 Lin W-Y 0 CHN Li YR 20/6r Han 18 Li YF 18 Wang 16 Huang 11 Wu 10/7a Yang LW 8 Li Y 7/8a Yang HY 6 Pan 6 Ru 4 Li M DNP

Philippines vs. Australia 56-120 PHI Pontejos 13 Cayabyab 10 Bernardino 8 Nabalan 8 Castillo 6 Clarin 6 Castro 3/6r Cabinbin 2 Tongco 0 Prado 0 Fajardo 0 Pingol DNP AUS Froling 21/12r Nicholson 21/6r Scherf 12/9r Sharp 12/6r Garbin 12 Melbourne 9 Whitcomb 8/7r/7a Shelley 7 Mangakahia 7 Wehrung 4 Aokuso 4 Wallace 3

September 27, 2021

The tournament started on Monday at a neutral site in Amman, Jordan as the top three finishers besides Australia will continue in the qualification for the world championship.  The teams are divided into two groups with the last-place teams facing off to determine which team will stay in Division A for the next tournament.  The top team in each group will get a bye to the semifinals.

Group A:

The day started with Japan, which has dominated the competition since the merger with Oceania, making major changes to the roster, but getting big games from Kiho Miyashita and Monica Okoye to beat India 136-46.  The next game was arguably the most important of the group stage as Penina Davidson and New Zealand once again failed to solve the South Korea puzzle as Choi Eun-Sil and Park Hye-Jin led their team to an 85-69 win and the inside track towards the semifinals.

Japan vs. India 136-46 JPN Miyashita 27 Okoye 24 Nemoto 17 Akaho 14 Hayashi 14 Nagata 13/6r/6a Todo 8 Mawuli 5 Yamamoto 5/7a Nishioka 4 Miyazaki 3/12a Nakada 2 IND P. Kumar 11/8r Limaye 8 Kumari 7 Nixon 5 Udayakumar 5 S. Kumar 4 Masilamani 4 Arvind 2 Yadav 0 Rani 0 Chenganamattathil 0 Mogan DNP

South Korea vs. New Zealand 85-69 KOR Choi 29/8r Park H-J 20/11r/6a Kim D-B 12 Kang 8 Bae 8 Park J-H 3 Jin 3 Shin 2 Yoon DNP An DNP Kim M-J DNP Yang DNP NZL Davidson 21/11r C. Leger-Walker 12 Taia 9 Purcell 8/7r Boagni 8 Goulding 7 Paalvast 2 Karaitiana 2 K. Leger-Walker 0 Blair 0 Hippolite DNP Richards DNP

Group B:

In this group, China named their strongest squad possible with the clear intent to win and Yang Liwei helped them roll past the Philippines 143-52.  Australia had to patch together a roster of players who were able to show up and they ended up getting absolutely everything that they could handle from Taiwan, which was hardly at full strength, before finally building a bit more of a comfortable lead to win 76-65.

China vs. Philippines 143-52 CHN Yang LW 21 Li YR 18/6a Han 17/6r Zhang 15/7a Li YF 13 Li Y 13 Yang 11 Wang 10/7r/7a Huang 9/6r Pan 9/6r Wu 7/6a Li M DNP PHI Bernardino 17/7r Pontejos 7 Prado 6 Fajardo 6 Nabalan 5 Castro 5 Clarin 3 Castillo 3 Cayabyab 0 Pingol 0 Tongco 0 Cabinbin 0

Australia vs. Taiwan 76-65 AUS Garbin 15/7r Whitcomb 13/11a Sharp 11/10r Aokuso 10 Froling 8 Scherf 7/7r Shelley 6 Wallace 5 Melbourne 1 Nicholson 0 Mangakahia 0 Wehrung 0 TPE Lin Y-T 12/6r/7a Lin T 8/11r Peng 8 Cheng 7/6r Liu 7 Chen 6 Lin W-Y 6 Chu 6 Han 3 Tai 2 Lin H-F 0 Wang 0