Iran’s team finishes 3rd in Asia basketball tournament

Iranian men’s national basketball team has claimed the third position at the end of the 2015 Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball (FIBA) Asia Championship in China after winning the Japanese side.

On Saturday, the Iranian squad defeated the East Asian side 68-63 in a third-place game staged at the Changsha Social Work College’s gymnasium in the south-central Chinese city of Changsha.

Iranian basketball players opened the match in dominant fashion to win most of the points in their way to lead at the end of the first quarter 22-10.

After the break, Japanese sportsmen returned to action refreshed. They made optimal use of their strengths and resources in the second quarter, and rolled to a 19-9 win.

Japanese players extended their lead into the third quarter, and managed to beat the opposite side 19-13.

The Iranian outfit, however, managed to retake the lead in the final set, and sealed a 24-15 win to steal the show.

Mohammad Samad Nikkhah Bahrami was the leading scorer for Iran with 35 points, while Japan’s top scorer Keijuro Matsui accumulated 18 points.

The 2015 FIBA Asia Championship opened in Changsha, China, on September 23, and will wrap up on October 3.

The winner of the tournament will qualify for the basketball tournament on the 2016 Summer Olympics, while the next three best teams will participate at the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men.

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