Mohammad Amini performed Tour De Force with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and one block, while Sina Vahedi added 21 points and two triples to grit and calm, showing off the grit and calm that still made Team Meli unbeaten 4-0.
The result ended a lively run in Taipei, China. They bowed on a 3-2 record.
Lin Xien paced China’s Taipei with 22 points, three triples and two steels, but Hinton’s brother and Chen Incheon lacked the tip in a timely burst that was fully controlled all night. But in the end, the game belonged to the Iranian lentless will.
“I believe it bothered our minds and mentality when we weren’t making shots,” Iranian coach Sotirios Alex Manolopoulos said. “At halftime, we had a long story. We changed our approach. We had to start with defense. We had to actively own it by our possessions. We knew we were going to get shots. This time we’re going to take a shot.
For Iran, the comeback wasn’t just about moving on to the semi-finals. It was to reaffirm their status as title contenders and prove that the deficit cannot be overcome.
For Taipei in China, it was the heartbreaking end of a campaign that had exceeded many expectations, highlighted by their victory over the Philippines and Jordan.
MNA