2013 FIBA Asia Championship: Korea dominates Giles-less Bahrain

(Updated 12:15am) Day one of the second round of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship ended in a rout, as Korea easily handled Bahrain, 96-51, on Monday at the MOA Arena.

Korea improved to 2-1, while Bahrain, whose naturalized player CJ Giles did not play, reportedly due to a knee injury, slumped to 1-2.

Kim Taesul led six Koreans in double digits with 17 points, seven assists and four steals. Cho Sungmin and Kim Sunhyung registered 14 points each. Kim Mingoo added 12 points, while Kim Jongkyu scattered 11 points in the romp.

Both teams scored sporadically for much of the first quarter, as Bahrain led 7-2 at the halfway point. But a slam by Kim Joo Sung jolted his teammates in the latter five minutes. Kim Mingoo and Cho Sungmin also pitched in, to form a 16-4 run, before Mohamed Al-Derazi snuck in a layup at the buzzer. Still, Bahrain trailed, 18-13, at the end of the first period.

Bahrain started the second quarter with terrible defense, allowing Korea to dominate the paint. An errant pass then led to a Kim Sunhyung fast break dunk, 24-14, forcing Korea into a timeout just two and a half minutes into the frame. But there was no relief for them as Lee Jonghyun manhandled them in the paint, drawing an and-one on a stuffing, right on the heels of a Kim Mingoo trey during a 10-0 run, 34-14.

Abdul-Rahman Mubarak and Mohammed Ebrahim ended a five-minute drought with consecutive three-pointers, followed by an Ahmed Ismail transition and-one, for a 9-0 counter. But Korea stabilized in the last two minutes, forcing turnovers that led to wide-open layups on the other end. A late triple by Mohamed Kawail then formalized a 42-26 lead at halftime.

After a Kim Sunhyung basket kicked off the third period, Ahmed Ismaeel went on a tear for Bahrain, drawing an and-one to score eight points in an ensuing 11-5 run, 49-37. But that was the closest they would get as Korea found their groove on offense. Charities by Kim Sunhyung pushed the lead back up to 20 points entering the last minute, and Korea imposed a 72-47 margin after three quarters.

Korea though did not let up in the fourth, even with the game well in hand. They conceded just two field goals to Bahrain in the entire frame, a period marred by an unsportsmanlike foul by Al-Derazi on Choi Junyong.

Korea shot 36-of-64 (56 percent) against Bahrain's 17-of-44 (39 percent). Bahrain committed 28 turnovers to Korea's 15, which they converted into a 29-15 turnover points spread.

Ahmed Ismaeel was the sole Bahrain player in double digits; no one else on his team scored more than seven points. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Korea 96 - T. Kim 17, S. Kim 14, M. Kim 12, Joo-Sung Kim 11, Cho 14, J. Lee 13, Jongkyu Kim 5, S. Lee 4, Yang 2, Moon 2, Choi 2, Yoon 0

Bahrain 51 - Ismaeel 19, M. Alderazi 7, A. Alderazi 6, Azzam 6, Y. Kawaid 4, Malabes 4, M. Kawaid 3, Akber 2, Altawash 0, Aman 0

Quarter scoring: 18-13, 42-26, 72-47, 96-51