Sri Lanka`s road to division I is so competitive that it will be decided during forty minutes of gameplay against Lebanon. The winning team will qualify for the semi-final stage while the other will remain in division II for another year.
Previous encounters
Sri Lanka have played against Lebanon only once before back in 2009. Lebanon completely dominated the game as the full time scoreboard read 54-96. Lebanon had a total of 36 rebounds in total while Sri Lanka only had 28. Sri Lanka managed to have a healthy free-throw percentage of 85.7% whilst Lebanon only had 74.2%. Apart from the free-throws, Sri Lanka were outclassed by Lebanon in every other aspect.
Premila Beruwalage top scored for Sri Lanka with 16 points in the match while C. Anderson top scored for the opponents with 22 points. Even though the Sri Lankan team remains the same except for a couple of players, Lebanon has a new outfit and only two players have managed to stay in the side since the last meetup.
Previous Games in the Championship
Uzbeks gun down Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka`s road to Division I in Asian Championships started with a humiliating loss against Uzbekistan in their first match in the 27th showdown of the competition held in Bengaluru, India…
Sri Lanka is coming into the must win game with frustration having not been able to pass the 50-point mark thus far. Sri Lanka played two matches, the first being against Uzbekistan where they suffered a loss, 39-78. The second match was against neighboring India and resulted in another loss for Sri Lanka, 42-88.
India massacres Sri Lanka
Sri Lank took on India in the 27th FIBA Asian Championships to retain their position in the road towards Division I. The track record between the two countries favored India, as they have won all the past encounters between the sides.
Lebanon beat Singapore by a ten-point margin, 74-64. Lebanon then carried the good form with them to thrash Fiji as they beat them, 90-48. It was Kazakhstan that derailed Lebanon giving them their first loss in the tournament, 54-62. Hence, Lebanon is stepping into the game with two wins out of three matches with momentum on their side.
Team Comparison
Comparing the teams on how they have performed so far in the tournament, on paper, Lebanon is far ahead of Sri Lanka. From 2 Points FG`s to Assists other than for steals and blocks, Lebanon is leads Sri Lanka.
The only area that both teams seem to be balanced is from the height. Neither of the teams have six footers. Hence it will be a tough contest grabbing the rebounds, but on paper still Lebanon has better in the tournament.
Key Players
Points: It has been Imesha Thathsarani who has been performing well for Sri Lanka throughout the tournament averaging 11.5 points per game. For Lebanon Chrine El Charif has scored 11.7 per game.
Rebounds: Kumarain Silva`s athleticism has topped the rebounding cards for Sri Lanka so far. Kumarain`s average coming into this game is recorded as 8.5 rebounds per game. Chrin EL Charif averages top for Lebanon, but in comparison a couple of points lower than Kumarain at 6.3.
Assist: Passing out wide and approaching the game in a collective angle has not been the strong suit of Sri Lanka so far in the tournament. Premila Fernando, an experienced point-guard for Sri Lanka, tops the assist list with an average of 2.0. Lebanon, is decimals higher in the assists but on a good day in the court, they will outsmart Sri Lanka. Lebanese average stands at 2.7 per game.
Steals & Blocks: The only two areas where Sri Lanka is ahead of the opponents in the team comparison. It`s Benika Thalagala who has fare percentage in steals for Lanka averaging 3.5 per game and for blocks Niroshini Paiva holds an average of 3.5 per game. Lama Moukaddem averages 2.3 for steals for Lebanon while Narine Gyokchain averages 1.3 for blocks.
Final Picture
Lebanon is on top on paper, apart from the height where both the teams are evenly poised. Psychological advantage favors Lebanon as they have a better track record in the tournament while Sri Lanka seems to be struggling with their shooting, particularly from outside the perimeter. Yet, coming into a must win game which decides the fate of both teams in the tournament, both teams will have to fight till the last breath.
