Chengdu, China: Defending champions Qatar defeated Bahrain but went down fighting to Ukraine in their Pool B group match at the FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Cup in Chengdu, China, today.
The quartet of Faisal Abuissa, Raslan Al Abdullah, Bobo Al Hadji and Seydoou Ndoye first defeated neighbours Bahrain 17-12, but went down to Ukraine 13-18 in their second match.
Qatar, who defeated Brazil 20-12 to win the crown at last years edition Astana, Kazakhstan, will meet New Zealand and Georgia respectively on July 1.
Ukraine's Maksym Deyna who played a major part in putting the defending champions in trouble, topped all scorers on Day two of the tournament with 16 points that helped his team defeat Qatar and 2015 winners New Zealand.
Hosts China made a statement as they dominated both pool games yesterday. China thrilled the home crowd with a 21-6 victory over Turkey and later went on to beat South Korea 17-10 with Zietang Yang leading the team in scoring with 11 points overall.
