JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) – Jordan found their second wind and went on to escape India in overtime, 91-84, to start their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 campaign on a winning note, Tuesday at the King Abdullah Sports Center.
Dar Tucker led all scorers with 30 points and 6 rebounds while Hashem Abbas produced 24 points and 7 rebounds with 3 steals as the two bannered the Falcons’ retaliation after staring at an 80-76 deficit late in regulation.
The 26-year-old winger himself was responsible in eventually forcing extra time, nailing back-to-back hits from within point-blank range before the veteran point guard delivered to put themselves ahead for good.
Tucker split his free throws in two separate trips for the 82-80 lead barely a minute into OT, then came Abbas with six consecutive points to inflate the cushion to 88-80 with under two minutes remaining.
Team India managed to cut the deficit to half but that proved to be the closest they could get as Freddy Ibrahim sank a total of three free throws in the game’s final 14 seconds to apply the finishing touches in the win.
With this, the Jordanians have taken the early lead in Group C, doing as much by extending the winless drought of their foes, which haven’t won a game in this tournament for a decade or since 2015 in Changsha, China.
Still, it was a gallant stand for the South Asian side as they nearly wielded the dreaded upset axe on a team that went all the way to the Semi-Finals of the 2022 competitions held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
*This article will be updated.