Iran fall to New Zealand in 2027 Basketball World Cup qualifier
Tehran - BORNA - Sotiris Manolopoulos’ side lost the five-quarter contest after the teams were tied 80-80 at the end of regulation.
Iran lost the opening quarter 21-19 before responding to take the second 20-17 and enter halftime with a 39-38 lead.
New Zealand regained control in the third quarter, capitalizing on Iranian turnovers and scoring in transition. Iran responded through Mohammad Amini, Mohammad Jamshidi and Matin Aghajanpour but entered the final period trailing.
Iran fought back in the fourth quarter, with Arman Zangeneh hitting two crucial three-pointers before Mehdi Jafari also converted from long range as Iran forced the game into overtime at 80-80.
New Zealand edged the extra period 13-11 to seal a 93-91 victory.
Iran had started the game strongly, with Mohammad Mehdi Heydari scoring from inside and beyond the arc. Salar Monji and Peter Girgorian also contributed before New Zealand recovered late in the first quarter.
In the second period, New Zealand stretched its advantage to as many as 11 points, but improved Iranian defense and scoring from Amini and Aghajanpour brought Iran back into the contest. Aghajanpour’s late three-pointer gave Iran a one-point halftime advantage.
Iran completed the first round of qualifying with five wins and one defeat.
In the second round, Iran is in Group E alongside Australia, Jordan, New Zealand, the Philippines and Syria.
Iran will play its second and final game of the fourth window against the Philippines on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Iran’s results in the qualifiers so far are:
First window: Iran 94-68 Iraq; Iran 86-71 Iraq.
Second window: Iran 60-73 Jordan; Iran 72-68 Syria.
Third window: Jordan 49-67 Iran; Syria 52-73 Iran.
Fourth window: Iran 91-93 New Zealand.
The fourth qualifying window runs from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1. At the end of the second round, the top three teams from each group and the best fourth-placed team across the two groups will qualify for the 2027 World Cup.
Qatar, as host of the tournament, has already secured automatic qualification.
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