Iran end Palestine hopes, send India into Quarter-Finals

CHANGSHA-HUNAN (2015 FIBA Asia Championship) - Iran were in a vengeful mood to start day six of competition in Group E of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship. A day after losing to the Philippines, the Iranians obliterated Palestine, 94-48, and effectively booted the latter out of Quarter-Finals contention.

Iran sparkled on both ends of the floor in this one, locking up Palestine for 21 turnovers and dominating them inside as well. The Palestinians clearly couldn’t match up with Iran’s size, depth, and energy.

The two-headed beast of Hamed Haddadi and Asghar Kardoust were just too good in this outing, combining for 29 points and 22 rebounds, while veterans Mahdi Kamrani and Saeid Davarpanah also scored in double-figures.

Palestine's big three of Sani Sakakini, Imad Qahwash, and Jamal Abu-Shamala bled for their points here, scoring only a combined 35 points on 13-of-42 field goal shooting.

Turning Point: Things were close in the first quarter with Iran holding on to a 3-point lead, 17-14, but they turned up the pressure in the second period, where they outscored Palestine, 26-6. That broke the game open and extinguished any hope of Palestine to notch a win in the second round.

Stats Don't Lie: Iran forced 21 Palestine turnovers and pounced on each one, scoring 27 points off those errors. Team Melli also relentlessly pounded the ball inside, grossly outscoring Palestine in the paint, 56-16.

Game Hero: Asghar Kardoust played just 18 minutes in this contest, but he made the most of each one, scoring 15 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and blocking 1 shot as Iran gained its fifth win of the competition.

The Bottom Line: Iran wanted to bounce back from their demoralizing loss to the Philippines yesterday, while Palestine were looking to stay alive for a Quarter-Finals berth after back-to-back defeats. In the end, coach Dirk Bauermann’s wards totally outclassed their West Asian rivals, and the Iranians will march on to the knockout phase on a strong note. Palestine, meanwhile, continue their downfall and will be relegated to the games that will determine who will place 9th to 12th in the tournament.

FIBA