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09 - 18
September 2016
14 Arsalan Kazemi (IRI)
12/09/2016
Game Report
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Iran have no trouble defeating overmatched Thailand

TEHRAN (FIBA Asia Challenge 2016) – Hosts Iran wasted no time in showing Thailand who was the vastly better team, 114-41, in their Group F match at the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 in Tehran, Iran.

Iran never trailed in this game, and they put up the biggest final winning margin so far in the competition. Coach Dirk Bauermann’s wards led after the first quarter, 34-17, and never looked back. They didn’t lift the pressure off the rest of the way, suffocating Thailand on defense and punishing them on offense.

Turning Point: Iran jumped out to a 20-7 lead by the middle of the first period thanks to good outside shooting and great playmaking. Behnam Yakhchali, Arsalan Kazemi and Oshin Sahakian combined for 17 of Iran’s first 20 points, underscoring their overwhelming depth and dominance.

Stats Don't Lie: Iran’s size and heft was just too much for Thailand. Coach Bauermann’s wards outrebounded the Thais, 51-23, and outscored them in the paint, 48-20. Hamed Haddadi, Meisam Mirzaei and Mohammad Hassanzadeh combined to grab 24 rebounds for Iran, which was already more than Thailand’s team total.

Game Hero: Veteran center Rouzbeh Arghavan played a nearly perfect game for Iran. The 28-year-old, 2.14m slotman shot 6-of-6 from the field and had no turnovers in a 21-point, 4-rebound and 2-steal effort. If not for his 2 missed free throws, he would have had a flawless stat-line!

The Bottom Line: Iran didn’t even seem to break a sweat in this blowout win. They completely outclassed Thailand, and they used this as a statement game for the rest of the field. The hosts mean business, and they won’t let up until they annex their third title in the history of this event. Thailand, meanwhile, have to regroup as they head into a match up with GCC powerhouse Qatar tomorrow.


FIBA