Palestine saw off Maldives 168-78 in the FIBA Asia Cup on Saturday. The hosts' winning streak came to an abrupt end after two straight defeats. They had been hoping to build momentum before the next round.
Maldives struggled to find any rhythm from the opening tip. By then, the visitors were already dictating the tempo. The home side's 47 turnovers told the story of a team that couldn't keep possession. To be fair, Palestine's pressure was relentless.
The statistics show a match decided in the first quarter. Palestine shot 72 from 118 in the field and connected on 15 of 41 three-pointers. Maldives managed only 34 successful field goals despite taking 77 attempts. The difference in efficiency was stark.
Palestine's recent form had been impressive. They beat Kazakhstan 80-67 on Friday and dispatched Sri Lanka 121-63 two days prior. Maldives, meanwhile, had lost to Kazakhstan 114-43 and Sri Lanka 107-65. The gap between the two sides was clear in the scoreboard.
The visitors finished with 43 assists against 18 turnovers. Maldives could only manage 26 assists while coughing up the ball 47 times. That disparity in ball security proved decisive. The final margin of 90 points reflected the one-sided nature of the contest.