FIBA Asia Championship September 20 Review: Iran rout Lebanon; Korea down Chinese Taipei (Part 2)
Iran 76 – Lebanon 45
Iran’s successful run in the FIBA Asia Championship continued as they routed Lebanon, 76-45 on Tuesday in the Eight-Final round of the tournament. Iran dominated the Lebanese squad in field goal shootings - 50.8 percent in contrast
to Lebanon’s 26.6 percent.
Samad Nikkhah Bahrami led the Iranian squad from the front. He hit 16 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists in 24 minutes on the court. Hamed Afagh also tallied 16 points for Iran. Ghaleb Reda was the top contributor
for the Lebanese side with 16 points, five rebounds and two steals.
Iran had all the momentum going into the game and they lived up to their reputation in the first 10 minutes, seizing the quarter in their favour 18-7 run. After a dismal first period, the Lebanese offense managed to cross the double
figures in the second quarter; however Iran still had the better of the frame and closed it out on 32-19.
The Lebanese resistance completely broke after the break as Iran scorched them with a 17-5 assault. There was only one way, the game went from there on and when the final buzzer sounded, the defending champions trudged off the
court with a 31 point win.
Korea 82 – Chinese Taipei 61
A dominant second and third quarter was enough for the Koreans to steer the game away from Chinese Taipei, and carve out an 82-61 win on Tuesday. The Koreans have now won all five of their games and are set to take the defending
champions Iran in the next encounter.
Sungmin Cho was the star for the Koreans on the day. Cho poured in a game-high 19 points and also clutched three rebounds, two assists and one steal. From Chinese Taipei, Tai Hao Wu tallied 15 points, grasped five rebounds, provided
two assists and made one steal.
Both teams looked aggressive in the first quarter. Chinese Taipei were able to make the break through with some quick possessions in the closing minutes of the period to take a two point lead (20-18).
However, in the second quarter, things turned completely as the Korean offense got going. They completely outran the Taipei defense and stunned them with a 25-12 surge to establish a 43-32 advantage at the end of first half.
The Koreans were even better after the break and completely dominated the Taipei team, 21-8, in the third quarter, putting them in a 24 point hole. Korea led Chinese Taipei by 64-40, going into the final quarter. Taipei needed
a miraculous performance to snatch the victory from team Korea, but that didn’t happen and the Koreans marched on to 82-61 win.
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