News / Sports

Iran basketball team trounces Kazakhstan in Asia U-18 championship

Sunday, 24 July 2016 2:07 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 24 July 2016 2:07 PM ]

This photo shows a view of the Group A match of the 2016 FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship between the national Iranian junior basketball team (players in white) and Kazakhstan at Azadi Sports Complex, western Iran, July 23, 2016.

Iran’s national junior basketball team has defeated Kazakhstan at the preliminary round the 2016 FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship.

The Iranian squad maintained its resounding winning streak on Saturday evening opening the match at Azadi Sports Complex, western Tehran, in a dominant fashion. They outscored the Central Asian contingent 19-14 in the first quarter.

The second quarter played out much like the first, with the Iranians making use of some quality offensive breaks to claim it 28-12.

The Kazakh sportsmen came from behind in the third quarter, and took the game to the wire to steal the lead. The hosts, however, were adamant and could chalk up a 28-22 victory at last.

The Iranian players were strong-minded not to relinquish the lead as the match extended into the final quarter, and finally bolted to a 15-11 win.

Iran will return to action on Sunday as it is scheduled to take on Japan.

The 2016 FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship, which marks the 24th edition of the continental sports event, started in the Iranian capital on July 22 and will run through July 31.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is drawn in Group B of the preliminary round of the sports event, and has joined Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon and South Korea.

Group A consists of China, Chinese Taipei, India, Iraq, the Philippines and Thailand.

The teams placed first, second, third and fourth in each group will qualify directly for the quarterfinal round.

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