Doha, Qatar: The Qatari national basketball team suffered a narrow 71-74 defeat against the Philippines on Friday at Qatar University Hall in their first match of the Doha International Friendly Basketball Championship. The tournament, running through Sunday, features four competing teams: host nation Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon, and the Philippines.
Qatar delivered a strong performance in the first three quarters, securing leads of 20-18, 20-20, and 20-13. However, the Philippines capitalized on a fourth-quarter dip in Qatar's momentum, dominating the final period 23-11 to overturn the deficit and clinch a hard-fought victory by three points.
Earlier in the day, Egypt defeated Lebanon 82-70 in the second game of the tournament. Egypt controlled the contest with period scores of 23-15, 24-22, 17-19, and 18-14.
The championship continues on Saturday with two second-round matchups: Qatar will take on Egypt, while Lebanon faces the Philippines. The tournament will conclude on Sunday with the final round of fixtures, featuring Qatar vs. Lebanon and Egypt vs. the Philippines.
The Doha International Friendly Basketball Championship was first introduced by the Qatari Handball Association in February last year as a five-day event, featuring six teams: Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Central African Republic, and Jordan.
