The Iranian national men’s basketball team has suffered its first loss at the 2015 William Jones Cup in Taiwan, going down to USA Overtake Select squad.
The Iranian side lost out to the American representative by 15 points (66-81) in a match played at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City on Wednesday.
The USA Overtake Select basketball players started out the match with solid play, and continued throughout the first quarter to rack up most of the points. They eventually took the quarter 22-14.
After the first quarter, the Iranian sportsmen came alive in the second and took the game to the wire to close the gap. They pulled out a seven-point win at last and claimed the second quarter 16-19.
The Americans came from behind as the game went into the third quarter and retook the lead. They exerted a spell of pressure on their Iranian rivals, and eventually chalked up a 29-17 victory.
The USA Overtake Select basketball players did not bow out as the fixture extended into the final quarter. The Iranian sportsmen raced against time and sought to narrow the deficit as the clock ticked toward the final whistle. However, they were just unsuccessful, and their opponents captured a 21-19 win.
Calvin Warner led the way for the winning side with 34 points. Cory Bradford added 15 points for the Americans, while Iran’s Yones Lalehzadeh chipped in with 12 points. Saeed Davarpanahfard also had 20 points for Iran in a losing effort.
The Iranian outfit, which is getting prepared for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, faces off with the Philippines on Thursday.
The 2015 William Jones Cup started in Taiwan on August 29 and will run until September 6. The event is a top-level international basketball tournament of FIBA Asia.