JORDAN completed a clean sweep of its assignments in the third window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers after slipping past Palestine, 79-76, on Monday at Prince Hamza Hall in Amman (Tuesday, Manila time).
Already qualified for the continental tilt, the Jordanians showed no signs of slowing down to finish at the top of Group F at 5-0.
Freddy Ibrahim led the way for Jordan with 17 points on 3-of-7 shooting from threes, to go with nine assists, three steals, and two rebounds, while Mohammad Hussein got 14 points and nine boards.
Sami Bzai chipped in 14 points built on three triples, four rebounds, and two dimes, as Amin Abu Hawwas scored 14 in the win.
Holding a close 76-73 lead entering the last two minutes, Abu Hawwas scored on a turnaround jumper with 1:54 remaining to extend the lead to five, 78-73.
Sani Sakakini kept things interesting for Palestine, cutting the lead down to two, 78-76 in the last 1:27, but he and Tamer Habash could not bury the go-ahead trey in the final minute, leading to Abu Hawwas icing the game with a split from the free throw line with two ticks left.
Sakakini paced the Palestinians with 28 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while naturalized player Kyndall Dykes had 22 points, five boards, five assists, and two steals.
The defeat dropped Palestine to a 2-4 record, but it will still have a chance to make it to the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup in the second round against the other group third placers just before the tournament in August.
There, Palestine will face off against India and Saudi Arabia, with the top two catching the last bus to Indonesia.
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