Iran edges Russia in pre-Asia Cup friendly
Iran’s national basketball team walked away with a hard-fought 70-67 victory over Russia in a warmup game in Moscow on Monday.
The match was part of Iran’s final training camp ahead of the FIBA Asia Cup – starting starting August 5 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Sina Vahedi led the way for Iran with 20 points, and two assists, registering an efficiency rating of 18.
The two teams will go head-to-head in a rematch in the Russian capital today.
Iran played three matches in a friendly tournament in Beirut before heading to Russia.
Team Melli suffered a 60-59 defeat against Egypt and then fell to a 105-89 setback against Lebanon, but defeated Jordan 70-61 in its final outing in Beirut on Friday.
Iran will begin its bid for a fourth Asian title with a game against Guam in Group B on the opening day of the flagship continental event, before taking on Japan two days later – in a repeat of a group encounter between the two teams in the 2022 edition, which Iran won 88-76.
The final round of the group fixtures will see Greek head coach Sotirios Manolopoulos’s men play Syria on Aug. 9.
The winners of the four groups in Jeddah will be handed direct qualification for the quarterfinals, with the second and third teams heading into a playoff round for a place in the last eight.
Australia will enter the flagship continental event as the defending champion after beating Lebanon in the 2022 final.