FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers: Iran Downs Iraq
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iran national basketball team proved to be too high-powered in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers as it thrashed Iraq in the second window.
Team Melli successfully got payback on the Iraqis, who upset the Iranians in the first window of the Asian Qualifiers. In Iran's 83-53 win over Iraq, Hamed Haddadi led the way with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots, while fellow veteran Samad Nikkhah Bahrami added 16 points, 7 assists, 4 boards and 3 three-pointers in the lopsided affair.
On the other end, Hassan Abdullah paced Iraq with a dozen points, while naturalized wingman DeMario Mayfield had 11 points, but he shot a poor 4-of-16 from the field in 37 minutes of action. Mayfield scored all his points in the first half and was shutdown by Iran in the last two quarters.
This win puts Iran at the very top of Group D with a 3-1 win-loss record, while the Iraqis fall to fourth place with a 1-3 record below Qatar, which beat them a few days ago.
Iran will gun for two more wins in the third window, where it will face Qatar and Kazakhstan, while Iraq will face against the same opponents this coming June and July.