Iran clinches Fiba Asia Challenge three-peat
Iran wins the 2016 Fiba Asia Challenge. Fiba.com
Make it three straight for Iran.
The Irananians completed a sweep of the 2016 Fiba Asia Challenge, thumping Korea, 77-47 in the championship game Sunday in Tehran, Iran.
Hamed Haddadi once again stamped his class, leading the Iranians with 20 points, 23 rebounds and three blocks.
Lee Seong Hyun paced the Koreans with 13 points.
Jordan, meanwhile, claimed the bronze medal after besting surprise semifinalist Iraq, 94-72.
China settled for a fifth-place finish after turning back Japan, 75-67, while India shocked Chinese Taipei, 80-68, to finish at seventh place.
The Philippines, comprised of an all-amateur crew, failed to advance past the second round, ending its campaign with a 1-4 record.
The top five teams earned their sub-zone an extra berth for the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup, which ups the count of West Asian teams to five, while East Asian squads will have three representatives for the meet.
Australia and New Zealand are joining the field for the first time as Oceania will be merged in the Asia Pacific region.
Qatar will represent the Gulf region, while one nation each will represent Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, with the 16th team being the host country.
The top 14 teams in the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup will automatically play in Division A of the new Fiba competition system.
