FIBA Asia Cup:
Resolute Iran to continue Jeddah journey against Australia
A place in the final showpiece of the FIBA Asia Cup will be up for grabs when Iran and two-time defending champion Australia go head-to-head at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City today.
Chasing a fourth Asian title, and first since 2013, Iran pulled off an epic fightback in the quarterfinals, overcoming a 21-point deficit to edge Chinese Taipei 78-75 on Wednesday – the biggest comeback by any team in this year’s competition.
Mohammad Amini stole the show with 30 points and 11 rebounds while Sina Vahedi added 21 points – including 19 in the second half – and two triples in a display of grit and poise as Greek head coach Sotirios Manolopoulos’s men celebrated a fourth successive win in Jeddah, having beaten Guam, Japan, and Syria for a top-spot finish in Group B.
Lin Ting-Chien paced Chinese Taipei with 22 points, with the Hinton brothers and Chen Ying-Chun chipping in timely bursts that had them in full control for most of the night.
Chinese Taipei came out firing, opening with a 10-0 burst behind Hinton’s triple and Lin’s fearless drives. By the end of the first quarter, Lin had nailed back-to-back corner threes to put his team up 24-11, and Mohammad Al Bachir Gadiaga’s hot shooting in the second frame helped preserve a commanding 42-26 halftime advantage.
“I believe when we were not making shots, that bothered our mind and mentality,” Manolopoulos said after the game. “At halftime, we had a long talk, and we changed the approach. We had to start from defense, to play aggressively possession by possession. We knew we will get our shots, and this time, we will make out shots. For the second half, we played to our maximum.”
Vahedi, meanwhile, said he was “proud of everybody – coaches, players” after Iran claimed a third comeback victory in a row in Jeddah.
“Man, I don’t know what to say about that because I’m so mad about it. I was on the bench for the whole first half,” said the 24-year-old, adding: “I was patient on the bench, thinking about defense, offense, everything. And in the second half, we won the game. I’m so happy about that.”
The scale of today’s task, however, is incomparable to what Iran has faced in Jeddah, as Australia is yet to concede a defeat since making its Asia Cup debut in 2017.
Spearheaded by star forward Jaylin Galloway and Owen Foxwell, who had 15 points apiece, Australia dismantled the Philippines 84-60 earlier on Wednesday to book a last-four date with Iran.
The defending champions wasted no time asserting control, hitting seven triples in the opening quarter alone to build a commanding 29-12 lead. Galloway set the early tone with three makes from deep, while Jack McVeigh and Will Magnay chipped in with key plays at both ends.
Australia has been in its own league in Jeddah, making a clean sweep of wins in arguably the toughest group in the preliminary round, which also featured 2022 finalist Lebanon, two-time champion South Korea, and Qatar.
Today’s game will mark a second Asia Cup encounter between Iran and Australia after the Boomers defeated Team Melli (79-56) in the 2017 final in Lebanon.
The other last-four clash will see China – the most decorated team in the competition with 16 titles – face New Zealand, which is desperate for a maiden final berth, after back-to-back semifinal defeats against Australia.