The Lebanese and Iraqi national basketball teams went head to head in the inaugural match of the Beirut International Cup on the afternoon of the 17th of February. The game ended 71-68 in favour of the Lebanese national team in a very defensive and low-scoring game.
As many stars like Arakji, Ezzeddine, Zeinoun and Haidar were out for this game, Jad al-Hajj opted for another lineup that should be able to kickstart the game in Lebanon’s favour. Gyokchyan, Mezher, Darwish, Hadidian and Khalil started the game for the Cedars.
In the first quarter, Iraq was a very worthy opponent, sinking two 3-pointers in a row. However, the Lebanese players were stronger on the inside and showed great resilience on the defensive end. The quarter foreshadowed that there was no dominant team in this game, and that the outcome could be difficult to predict. The two teams then kept scoring back and forth, until the quarter ended in a very narrow lead for Iraq (17-16).
The second quarter was a quarter filled with turnovers, with both teams scoring less than the first quarter. While Lebanon progressively came back into the game, the players were able to build a small advantage (32-29) for themselves. Gerard Hadidian was putting on a great performance in the first half while the Cedars heavily relied on his output. Until the last minute, Lebanon had 10 shots from the 3-point and scored none of them. Gyokchyan and Jamaleddine then hit two 3-pointers back to back to give Lebanon a much-needed lead (38-31).
The first half showed Lebanon that it should not underestimate the strength of the Iraqi team. As the players entered the second half with a 7-point lead, they knew that they had to be more accurate on the offensive end.
The third quarter did not show any difference from the previous quarters, with both teams keeping their defensive shapes. Rather than converting the shots they were missing, the Lebanese players conceded many turnovers, 19 until that point in the match. To compensate for their errors on the offensive end, the Cedars could almost take all their defensive rebounds. With still one possession to go, Lebanon was trailing Iraq by two points. The naturalised player Norvel Pelle and Hadidian could score 4 points in the space of 10 seconds to give the team back their lead. Lebanon’s lead going into the half was preserved but reduced to two points, with the third quarter ending 55-53.
The fourth quarter needed a better performance from Lebanon to see out the first game of the Beirut Cup. In this quarter, the defensive end depended on Pelle who was very dominant in the paint, thanks to his blocks and rebounds. The offensive side depended on Darwish’s output who scored some crucial points before going to the bench, injured. Halfway through the quarter, Lebanon extended their lead to 8 points. With less than two minutes to go, Lebanon committed an “unsportsmanlike foul” that gave Iraq two free throws and a possession, which yielded them 4 points. With 40 seconds to go, Iraq scored a 3-pointer to decrease the difference to 1 point. Amir Saoud was then understandably given the ball and scored two pivotal points to make it 71-68 and give Lebanon the win in the first game.
The Lebanese national team may have won this game, but their performance was not up to their usual standards. While many important injuries affected this game, this does not excuse the fact that the team conceded almost 30 turnovers throughout the match. Nevertheless, the win should be acknowledged, with all focus on the next match against Palestine on Sunday 18.
