Lebanon's women's national basketball team coach Paul Coughter expressed respect for Indonesia's resistance in the match to secure a spot in Division A of the 2025 International Basketball Federation Women's Asian Cup in China.
According to him, even though they ultimately won 67-57 against Garuda Pertiwi, Lebanon had to fight tooth and nail until the last minute to secure a ticket to Division A, while also avoiding relegation to Division B.
"Full respect to Indonesia, because they made us (Lebanon) work hard until the end, and this match was too tense for us," Coughter said after the match, as reported on the FIBA website.
He explained that the victory was very important for Lebanon, because it kept their hopes of developing on the world stage alive, by competing against the best national teams in Asia.
"Ultimately, we stayed in Division A, which is important for the country and our women's basketball program," said the veteran coach.
The Indonesian national basketball team was forced to be relegated from division A to B, after losing 57-67 against Lebanon in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2025, at the Shenzhen Sports Center, China.
The result of the match ensures that Lebanon will remain in Division A, in the next edition in the Philippines in 2027.
Meanwhile, Indonesia had to accept the reality of being relegated after suffering four consecutive defeats during the tournament.
The Garuda Pertiwi national team was previously promoted to Division A after winning Division B in Sydney, Australia, in 2023.
However, the defeat to Lebanon meant that Andrie Ekayana's squad had to be relegated back to Division B.
