Iran and South Korea yesterday scored in the triple digits to triumph in their matches and move into a tie for second place — only a win short of leaders Canada — in the William Jones Cup at the Sinjhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.
Iran displayed hot shooting from outside and inside the paint as they outmatched Taiwan White and cruised to a 102-56 victory.
Five Iran players scored in the double digits, led by forward Mohammad Torabi’s 18 points, while center Mohammad Yousof Vand recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Iran pulled ahead 30-11 after the opening quarter and 53-27 by halftime, and continued their domination in the second half, shooting 63 percent overall, compared with only 30.6 percent for Taiwan White.
In yesterday’s other game, South Korea recorded a 101-72 win over regional rivals Japan to move into a tie with Iran for second place with five wins and one loss each.
South Korea starters Lee Jung-hyun and Kang Sang-jae led the scoring with 22 and 15 points respectively, while Jeon Jun-beom came off the bench to post 15 points.
In contrast, only Keita Imamura (12) and Gen Hiraiwa (10) scored in the double digits for Japan.
In the first evening contest, the Philippines thrashed Lithuania 98-65, with William Navarro and Zygimantas Jocys leading the scoring with 20 points apiece for each side.
In the late game, Taiwan Blue battled to defeat Indonesia 78-68.
Canada, who had a bye for the day, remained top of the table with six victories.
However, as most teams are to play two matches over the weekend, Iran and South Korea remained within striking distance.
The Philippines, represented by the Ateneo Blue Eagles, the college champions from Ateneo de Manila University, were only one game back with a 4-2 record.
On Thursday, Canada picked up their sixth win by downing Taiwan Blue 81-68 and the Philippines demolished Indonesia 89-78, while Japan defeated Lithuania 95-64 and Iran prevailed 80-69 over South Korea.
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