Malaysia’s unbeaten run in the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Asia Oceania championships has come to an end in the quarter-finals. It also ends any hopes of the Malaysians qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Australia, who were given a rude shock in their Division One round robin matches by Japan, bounced back in the quarter-finals with an emphatic 92-40 win over Malaysia.
Such was the dominance of the defending champions, that Malaysia failed to find the basket even once in the first period. Australia led 22-0 in the period before Malaysia found a semblance of rhythm in the second .
They trailed 16-51 in the second period and fell further back in the third, trailing 27-77. With a massive lead, the Aussies had eased off in the final period to move into the semi-finals.
Malaysia’s top scorer in the competition, Muhamad Atib Zakaria only managed three points in the match. Muhammad Azzwar Hassan Asaari was the only player to hit double digits, contributing 17 points for Malaysia. Muhamad Khairul Azman and Ahmad Nazri picked nine and six points respectively.
Australian Brett Stibners topscored for his side with 21 points while Clarence Mccarthy-Grogan and Michael Auprince notched 17 and 12 points respectively.
Despite the defeat, Malaysia can be proud of having clinched the Division Two title.
About Post Author
