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Iran loses to New Zealand ahead of Gilas showdown

Sports | Basketball

Iran loses to New Zealand ahead of Gilas showdown

By Reynald I. Magallon

At A Glance

Iran missed two crucial shots from point-blank range to drop a 91-93 overtime defeat against New Zealand in the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, Aug. 28.

Iran missed two crucial shots from point-blank range to drop a 91-93 overtime defeat against New Zealand in the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, Aug. 28.

Tall Black’s Sam Waardenburg blocked the first attempt of Team Melli’s Mohammad Amini before the Kiwis did enough to bother Alireza Sharifi on the missed putback to pull off the great escape.

New Zealand improved to a 5-2 record, catching Iran on the same slate in the Group E standings. The Iranian’s defeat also came ahead of its all-important clash against Gilas Pilipinas on Sunday, Aug. 30 on the same venue.

Shea Ili led the way for New Zealand with 24 points and six assists while Sam Mennenga had 15 points and 14 rebounds. Reuben Te Rangi had 13 while Waardenburg finished with 11.

Matin Aghajanpour paced Iran with 19 points while Mohammad Amini and Seyed Mahdi Jafari had 16 and 14, respectively.

Meanwhile, Australia whipped Syria, 123-64, to stay perfect through seven games.

Elijah Pepper torched Syria with 32 points, built on eight triples as the Boomers pulled away late in the first quarter and never looked back from there.

James Justice Jr. paced the Syrians with 21. They slid to a 2-5 slate in the standings.

Related Tags

Iran New Zealand FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers

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