Iran's national basketball team edges Bahrain to reach Asian Games semifinals
Tehran - BORNA - In a closely contested and demanding matchup, Iran clinched a 79-74 victory. Iran set the pace early, taking the opening quarter 21-17 and extending its advantage with a 22-17 run in the second quarter to head into halftime leading 43-34. Bahrain responded by claiming the third quarter 21-17 to trim the deficit to 60-55, while both sides posted 19 points apiece in a hard-fought fourth quarter before Iran pulled away in the final seconds.
Match Report
First Half: Iran 43 – 34 Bahrain Bahrain started stronger, taking an early 4-0 lead, but Iran responded with two three-pointers from Mohammad Mehdi Heidari. A steal and a three-pointer by Peter Girgoorian put Iran ahead 9-7. The teams stayed close until Bahrain tied the game at 15-15 with a three-pointer from Mustafa Rashed with 2:32 left in the first quarter. Points from Arsalan Kazemi, Arman Zangeneh, and Mohammad Jamshidi allowed Iran to pull away, ending the quarter 21-17.
Iran also started the second quarter well, extending its lead through a three-pointer by Zangeneh and points from Seyed Mehdi Jafari, Jamshidi, and Kazemi. Bahrain attempted to close the gap with points from Rashed and Wayne Chism (Thomas), but Iran consolidated its advantage, leading 41-30 with 1:37 left in the half after points from Jamshidi and Kazemi. Bahrain reached 34 points in the final minutes, but a steal by Kazemi and a fast-break two-pointer by Heidari sealed the half at 43-34 for Iran.
Second Half: Iran 79 – 74 Bahrain The third quarter began with Iran extending its lead to 10 points (49-39) following three-pointers from Jamshidi and Matin Aghajanpour. Bahrain fought back with points from Zee Sampson, Ahmed Haji, and Rashed, tying the game at 51-51 with 3:29 remaining. Salar Monji put Iran back in front with two points, but Bahrain kept it close. Another two points from Monji and a two-point jumper by Heidari gave Iran a 57-53 lead with 1:10 left. Girgoorian added a fast-break layup to make it 59-53. In the closing seconds, Sampson hit a free throw for Bahrain, but Girgoorian answered with a free throw of his own, ending the third quarter 60-55.
In the fourth quarter, points from Navid Rezaeifar and Heidari pushed Iran's lead to 68-61, but Bahrain rallied with three-pointers from Rashed and Sampson, eventually taking a 69-68 lead following a steal and score by Rashed. Zangeneh hit a three-pointer to reclaim the lead for Iran, and Jamshidi followed with another three-pointer to make it 74-69. Rashed responded with a three-pointer, narrowing the gap to 74-72 with 1:54 remaining. With 1:14 left, Sampson tied the game at 74-74. However, Jamshidi drew a foul on a successful two-point shot and converted the free throw, putting Iran ahead 77-74. In the final seconds, Rashed was ejected after receiving a technical foul, and Jamshidi sealed the 79-74 victory with the ensuing free throws.
Iran advanced to the quarterfinals as the group leader after two wins against Jordan and Chinese Taipei, despite a loss to Qatar in the preliminary round. The semifinals are scheduled for Friday.
Iran's Roster: Peter Girgoorian, Mohammad Jamshidi, Arsalan Kazemi Naeini, Arman Zangeneh, Seyed Mehdi Jafari, Mohammad Mehdi Heidari, Navid Rezaeifar, Salar Monji, Matin Aghajanpour, Mobin Sheikhi, Alireza Sharifi, and Khashayar Ali-Akbari.
Coaching Staff: Head Coach: Sotirios Manolopoulos Team Manager: Majid Sadeghi Assistant Coaches: Alexandros Velissarakos, Mohammad Kassaeipour, Farzad Kouhian, and Mehdi Cheraghi.
Quarterfinal Results & Schedule (Wednesday):
Jordan 80 – 114 South Korea
Iran 79 – 74 Bahrain
Chinese Taipei vs. Japan (10:30)
China vs. Saudi Arabia (13:50)
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