UAE beaten by Sale
The national team went out of the tournament after an 85-80 defeat to the experienced Moroccan side, having matched them for long spells.
The national team went out of the tournament after an 85-80 defeat to Sale of Morocco. Despite the loss the team more than matched a Moroccan side with long experience and high technical quality, and it was natural that experience should have the final word at the decisive moments — particularly in the last two minutes, when Sale showed their true character and settled the match. They meet Mighty Sports of the Philippines in the semi-finals on Friday.
The match was a contest between Lebanon's Fadi El Khatib and Sale's Tunisian star Radhouane Slimane. El Khatib scored what may be a record 34 points, and could have added more but for the fatigue that caught him in the final quarter in particular, in which he managed only four points against 30 by the end of the third. Slimane scored 27 and played a considerable part in tipping the match Sale's way. The quarters finished 21-16, 26-28, 19-28 and 19-8.
