Day 2: Iran avoid upset; Bahrain, Saudi Arabia pick up solid wins

TEHRAN (Iran) - Iran got tested right in their very first game but passed as much with flying colors as they overcame Qatar in an overtime thriller, 76-74, to start their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers campaign, Thursday night at a packed Azadi Basketball Hall.

 

 

Sajjad Mashayekhi nailed the go-ahead triple off a Behnam Yakhchali kick-out with 39.0 seconds left, and Mike Lewis missing his potential game-winning trey before time expired enabled the home team to escape after finding themselves in an unfamiliar territory.

The seasoned floor general finished with 8 points and 7 assists as Iran emerged victorious in the first OT game in the Asia Cup Qualifiers since Saudi Arabia eked out a 79-77 win over Syria back in June 12, 2021 at the Prince Hamza Sport Hall in Amman, Jordan.

 

Yakhchali top-scored for Team Melli with 20 points on 6-13 shooting from beyond the arc, alongside 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals to net an efficiency of 20.

Navid Rezaeifar finished with 15 points on 6-9 shooting from the floor as all but one of the 11 players fielded by Coach Hakan Demir scored at least 3 points in the win.

The Iranians appeared to be on their way to suffering a huge upset at the hands of the Qataris when they trailed by seven points, 65-58, with 2:58 left in the fourth quarter.

But experience proved key time and again, with the trio of Meisam Mirzaei, Rezaifari, and Yakhchali joining hands for a 7-0 run to tie it up at 65-all with 1:04 remaining.

A costly foul, though, enabled Qatar to regain the lead behind two free throws by Lewis, and things appeared bleak for the home team once more when Yakhchali missed his triple that could've given the upper hand - and Mirzaei failed to clean up that miss.

Luckily for them, Arsalan Kazemi was there to save the possession, then nailing the point-blank bucket they'd been hoping for to tie the game at 67-all with 22 seconds left. The visitors' failure to convert on the other end sent the game into an extra five minutes.

Qatar seemingly had it in the bag when they took a 74-71 lead with 3:04 left but that proved to be the last time they'd taste the lead, with Rezaeifar and Mashayekhi coming through with the game's most important baskets as Iran eventually completed the fightback.

Kazakhstan beat India

In the other games of the day, Kazakhstan turned it up in the middle quarters to take down India by way of a 63-50 decision at the Republican Velodrome in Sarkarya.

Rustam Murzagaliyev set the pace with 18 points for the Steppen Wolves, which overcame a 13-16 first-quarter deficit as they found their flow in the following period before holding the visitors to just 7 points in the third to take the 44-33 lead - and never look back.

No other player finished in double figures for the team of Coach Evgeniy Ovsyannikov but everybody except one contributed at least three points in the triumph.

Arvindkumar Muthu Krishnan, on the other hand, was the lone bright spot for India with 17 points in the defeat that saw the squad commit a total of 20 turnovers.

Saudi Arabia stave off Iraq in Baghdad

In the third offering of Day 2, Saudi Arabia poured it in the fourth quarter to frustrate Iraq on their very own home floor, 64-58, at the Al Shaeb Hall in Baghdad.

Mathna Almarwani led the way 20 points, while Mohammed Almarwani added 12 points and 9 rebounds as KSA turned it around after facing a 45-44 deficit at the end of the third.

Marzouq Almuwallad canned two free throws early in the fourth quarter to wipe the said gap and put them ahead for good. The others then came in to help, with Musab Kadi converting a dunk to push their lead to eight, 60-52, with 2:19 left to play.

Mohammed Al-Khafaji, meanwhile, made 22 points to lead Iraq in the loss. Veteran guard Demario Mayfield was the only other scorer in twin digits with 18, along with 8 boards.

Lebanon weather Syria in Damascus

Lebanon avoided disaster from happening before taking down the gritty Syria, 87-78, in front of the latter's own fans that filled up the Al Fayhaa Stadium in Damascus.

 Amir Saoud came through with the back-breaking triple with 2:30 left to play that took the life out of the home team, who managed to knock within only seven points, 79-72, after being down by as much as 25 points, 65-40, approaching the midway point of the third.

Wael Arakji top-scored for the Cedars with 19 points and 8 assists. The returning Norvel Pelle finished with 17 points and 7 boards, while Saoud produced 12 points.

Wasted by the comeback that fell short, meanwhile, was the impressive FIBA debut of Javion Blake, who finished with 28 points on 11-of-11 shooting from the line to lead Syria.

Mosti shines as Bahrain down UAE

Mosti Rashed turned the Khalifa Sport City in Manama into his own playground once again as he powered Bahrain to a 70-64 victory over the United Arab Emirates.

The 22-year-old guard led the way with 28 points, including the layup to break a 55-all deadlock approaching the game's last six minutes that put them up for good.

Wayne Chism provided ample support with a full line of 10 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block as he helped preserve the efforts of Rashed in the endgame.

Leading UAE's charge was Hassn Hussein with his 17 points. Omer Khalid Alameri made 15 points while Mamadou Ndiaye and Abdulaziz Khalifa added 13 and 10, respectively.

Jordan maul Palestine at home

Jordan caught fire in the third quarter and never cooled down en route to scoring a 73-46 rout against Palestine at the Prince Hamzah Sport Hall in Amman.

The Falcons held an eight-point advantage at the halftime intermission but the break seemingly got them recalibrated on both ends of the floor. The crew opened the third with 20 unanswered points toward a 54-26 lead, eventually cruising to the triumph.

 

Ahmad Al-Dwairi led the Falcons with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, on top of 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block. Hashem Abbas supplied 12 points, 7 rebounds, and a pair of steals while Mohammad Hussein contributed 10 points and 9 rebounds,

Jamal Mayali, on the other hand, was the lone bright spot for Palestine with 20 points and 10 rebounds, together with 6 steals in the stinging defeat.

FIBA