Chances for "Basketball Falcons" to Top the List Against Iran
Confidence in Overcoming their Qatari Counterpart at the Asian Games
Amman5 min read
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Yesterday, the national basketball team achieved a valuable victory over its Qatari counterpart with a score of 76-65, in the match held at the Aichi International Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan, as part of the second round of Group B matches for the men's basketball tournament at the 20th Asian Games "Aichi-Nagoya 2026".
This victory compensated for the "Jordan Falcons" opening loss against Chinese Taipei with a score of 80-83, granting them their first win in the tournament and raising their tally to 3 points with a positive goal difference of +8 (156 for versus 148 against). This places them at the top of the Group B standings before the final round of the group stage.
The national team imposed its rhythm from the first minutes, finishing the leading first quarter 19-14, before consolidating its advantage in the second quarter which it settled 23-16, ending the first half with a comfortable 12-point lead (42-30).
The "Jordan Falcons" maintained the initiative in the second half, securing the third quarter in their favor 22-19. Despite a Qatari comeback in the final quarter won by the Qatari team 16-12, the margin achieved in the first three quarters was sufficient to secure the match for the national team 76-65.
Clear Superiority
Match statistics indicate that the two teams were close in offensive efficiency, as the national team scored 27 out of 70 field goal attempts at 39%, compared to 22 out of 56 at 39% as well for the Qatari team. However, the real difference appeared in the details: the "Jordan Falcons" clearly excelled at 35% (11 out of 31), compared to only 25% for the Qatari team (4 out of 16). There was a slight superiority for the national team in rebounds at 43 against 41, and the biggest difference was in assists, where the national team recorded 21 assists compared to only 7 for the Qatari team, reflecting a clear superiority in organizing team play and ball movement. The "Jordan Falcons" also took better care of the ball by committing only 11 turnovers compared to 17 for the Qatari team, which deprived Qatar of additional offensive opportunities.
Buford, Star of the Match
Began Buford delivered an exceptional performance, leading the national team's scorers list with 20 points through a 47% shooting percentage from the field (7 out of 15 attempts), confirming his continuity as the team's best scorer in this tournament with a cumulative tally of 38 points in two matches at an average of 19 points per game.
Behind him came Ruhi Al-Kilani with a remarkable performance scoring 14 points, while Mohammad Shaher added 12 points with an excellent shooting percentage of 57%, and Ahmad Al-Hamarsheh contributed 9 points with high efficiency (80% from the field, 4 out of 5 attempts).
In contrast, the performances of Abdullah Olowon (8 points at 33%) and Amin Abu Hawwas (8 points at 30%) were below the usual level in terms of scoring efficiency, while Freddy Ibrahim continued to struggle with poor shot selection (3 points at only 9% from 11 attempts).
As for Dar Tucker, who was the star of the first match with 17 points, he settled for just two points, in a match where the offensive load seemed to be distributed this time among other players.
Points That Made the Difference
The cumulative analysis of Jordan's matches so far shows a clear superiority in several aspects compared to opponents:
Points from Turnovers: The national team achieved 17 points from opponent errors compared to only 6 against it, a large margin reflecting the seriousness of the defensive pressure.
Second Chance Points: A slight superiority for Jordan (18 versus 14).
Fast Break Points: Here was the most prominent weakness, as opponents scored 21 points from fast breaks compared to only 10 for the national team, an aspect that needs addressing before today's match.
Bench Points: Relatively close (56 for Jordan versus 63 for opponents), reflecting a relatively balanced reliance on starters and substitutes by both sides.
The Decisive Date
The national team concludes its group stage matches at dawn today, Sunday, when it faces the Iranian team at 10:00 AM Japan time (4:00 AM Amman time), in a match that carries a decisive nature to determine the "Jordan Falcons" position in the final standings, while Chinese Taipei and Qatar meet in the group's other crucial showdown.
According to the tournament system, the first and second-placed teams in each group qualify directly to the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-placed teams among the three groups.
Qualification Scenarios
In the event of a Jordan victory over Iran, the "Jordan Falcons" raise their tally to two wins and one loss. If Qatar beats Chinese Taipei, Jordan will qualify in first place and Qatar second, while Taiwan will be eliminated in fourth place. If Chinese Taipei beats Qatar, the "Jordan Falcons" will come second after Chinese Taipei, and Iran will be eliminated in fourth place.
In the event of a Jordan loss to Iran, the "Jordan Falcons" will compete for third and fourth places. If Chinese Taipei beats Qatar, Jordan will take third place and wait for groups one and three to know its qualification fate, while Qatar will be eliminated in fourth place. If Qatar beats Chinese Taipei, the "Jordan Falcons" will be eliminated in fourth place.
Winning against Iran remains the safest and clearest option for the "Jordan Falcons" to secure qualification without waiting for the results of other matches.
