The Lebanese women’s basketball team (positioned 8th in Asia and 44th in the world) got off to a losing start at the Asian Women’s Division A Basketball Cup, which is taking place at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre in Australia. During the opening day of the competition, on Monday, June 26, they lost (44-89) to their Chinese counterparts (ranked 1st in Asia and 2nd in the world). Nevertheless, the Cedars women put up a tough fight in the first quarter before falling behind in the following three, with China exerting great pressure and leading throughout the game (Quarter 1: 24-21; Quarter 2: 18-9; Quarter 3: 22-2; Quarter 4: 25-12).
On the Lebanese side, the game’s top scorer was Rebecca Akl (13 points), followed by Zeina Élias (12 points), Aïda Bakhos (9 points), Trinity Baptist (4 points – naturalised player), Miramar Mokdad (3 points), Daniella Fayad (2 points) and Rana Husseini (1 point). China’s Xu Han was the top scorer for her team and the match (17 points).
Drawn in Group A alongside China, South Korea and New Zealand, the Lebanese team is set to play their second match on Tuesday against South Korea (ranked 4th in Asia and 12th in the world). Following this game, Lebanon will wrap up their first-round matches against New Zealand (ranked 5th in Asia and 29th in the world) on Wednesday.
The rules of the Women’s Asian Cup, which comprises two groups (A and B) of four teams each, provide for the relegation of the team occupying the eighth and last place in the tournament to division B. The other four teams competing in Pool B are: Japan, Taiwan, Australia (host country) and the Philippines.
