Iran complete sweep after trampling on Malaysia

CHANGSHA-HUNAN (2015 FIBA Asia Championship) - Iran lowered the boom on Malaysia, 122-42, to complete a Group A sweep in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship.

Iran set the tone early, outscoring Malaysia, 35-5, in the first quarter and the game was pretty much over at that point. As expected, the bigger and more experienced Iranians dominated proceedings in every possible way. Coach Dirk Bauermann’s wards were firmly in control both on defense and offense.

Six Iranians scored in double-figures, led by Mohammad Hassanzadeh’s 28 points. Fellow big man Asghar Kardoust also impressed with 24 points, while Sajjad Mashayekhi and Mahdi Kamrani tallied 14 and 15 points respectively. Coach Paul Advincula’s squad lost their third game in a row and were paced by the combined 27 points of Wei Hong Choo and Chee Kheun Ma.

Turning Point: Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, Mohammad Jamshidi, Behnam Yakhchali, and Mahdi Kamrani all combined to score the game’s first ten points for Iran. Team Melli were never threatened after that scorching opening salvo, and Malaysia had no chance to fully recover.

Stats Don't Lie: Iran’s size was just too much for the overmatched Malaysians. Iran won the battle of the boards, 64-24, and were +34 in points scored in the paint. Hassanzadeh and Kardoust grabbed a total of 28 rebounds, four more than Malaysia’s team total!

Game Hero: Hassanzadeh had been solid for Iran through their first two games, and he continued to be efficient in this match. He came off the bench and recorded an eye-popping 28-point, 18-rebound double-double. He shot 11-of-16 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

The Bottom Line: Malaysia wasn’t expected to put up a stiff challenge against the mighty Iranians, and that’s exactly what happened. Not surprisingly, Iran finish at the top of Group A and will take a 2-0 record to the next round, while Malaysia are relegated to the classification games for 13th to 16th places.

FIBA