Nationals sadsad sa Iran

GUANGZHOU--Nabigo ang Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas na pakabahin ang back-to-back FIBA Asia champion Iran matapos makatikim ng 48-65 kabi­guan sa kanilang unang laro sa main draw ng 16th Asian Games basketball com­petitions sa Huangpu Gymnasium kamakalawa ng gabi.

Nagtala lamang ang Na­tionals ng 38-percent shooting at may nagawang 25 errors bunga na rin ng de­pensa ng mga Iranians.

“They defended very well. We also played well defensively but they were better, limiting us to 48 points. That’s the least we scored in a game since I started coaching the team. That’s our worst game against them,” sabi ni Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman.

“We had a very bad of­fen­sive game and that decided the outcome,” dag­dag pa nito.

Apat na laro pa ang kailangang ipanalo ng Nationals, ayon sa Serbian mentor.

Nakatakdang sagupain ng Smart Gilas ang Qatar kagabi.

Nagmula naman ang Qatar sa 97-48 paggiba sa India.

Sa iba pang laro, tinalo ng China ang Mongolia, 91-46; iginupo ng South Ko­rea ang Uzbekistan, 103-54; pinayukod ng Jordan ang North Korea, 90-80; at binigo ng Japan ang Chinese Taipei, 63-57.

“We had played the Philippines so many times so we knew them very well. Almost everybody is strong going to the left and so we forced them to play to the right. Our good defense and good three-point shooting won it for us,” ani Iran coach Veselin Metic.

Umiskor si Chris Tiu ng 14 points buhat sa kanyang 4-of-5 shooting sa three-point line para sa RP 5.

Nagdagdag si Kelly Williams ng 13 rebounds at 8 points kasunod ang 7 points ni Sol Mercado at 5 points ni Asi Taulava.

Nailapit ng Nationals ang laro sa 42-55 matapos ibaon ng Iranians via 21-point lead.

Iran 65 - Sohrabnejad 11, Davari 10, Davoudichegani 10, Sahakian 9, Kamrani 7, Afagh 7, Davarpanahfard 6, Kardoust 5, Doraghi 0.

Philippines 48 - Tiu 14, Williams 8, Mercado 7, Casio 6, Taulava 5, Baracael 4, Barroca 4, Lassiter 0, Lutz 0.

Quarterscores: 17-10, 35-20, 47-30, 65-48.