Dubai: Lebanon's national basketball team paid dearly for benching their top player in the second half as they lost to a Philippine Basketball Association selection, 94-75 in the first of two tune-up games held Sunday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City in the Philippines.
Lebanon's Fadi El Khatib, who was the Most Valuable Player in the 2005 Asian Basketball Confederation Championships, was benched in the second half after scoring 10 points in the first quarter.
The Filipinos sizzled on both sides of the court with forward Renren Ritualo firing seven three-point shots and topscored for the hometown team with 23 points.
The Lebanese team will be playing one more game against the Philippine national training team on Wednesday before heading for the World Basketball Championships in Saitama, Japan.
Lebanon earned a slot in the so-called "World Cup of basketball" after finishing second to powerhouse China in the last FIBA-Asia Championships.
