Iran earns third straight win at FIBA Asia Cup

TEHRAN,Sept.18(MNA)--Iran basketball team defeated Chinese Taipei 63–71 in the 4th FIBA Asia Cup at the Ota Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan on Monday. The Persian have already defeated India and Qatar. Samad Nikkhah Bahrami of Iran was on top of the score sheet with 24 points. Tien Lei was Chinese Taipei’s top scorer with 17 points. Iran will play Japan On Tuesday. Four top sides from the each group will qualify for the quarterfinals. A total of 10 teams are divided into two groups of five. The first team will book a berth in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship which will be held in Manila, the Philippines. The FIBA Asia Cup was played since 2004, then 2008 and 2010. Qatar was champion in 2004 in Taipei, Jordan won the title in 2008 in Kuwait, while Lebanon won the crown in Beirut in 2010.