Iran loses to Taiwan in FIBA Asia U-18 Championship

TEHRAN,Aug.23(MNA)--Iran lost to Taiwan in the 22nd FIBA Asia U-18 Championship at Buyant-Ukhaa Arena in Ulan Bator, Mongolia on Wednesday. Taiwan defeated Iran 78-77 in overtime thriller as both teams finished on top of Group F. Iran, meanwhile, suffered its first loss and kept the top position. The Persians have already defeated Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Bahrain and Indonesia in the competition. Lee Chia-Jui was on top of the score sheet for the winners with 22 points and Wang Chih-Chun nailed 16. Iran’s Vahid Dalirzahan ended up with 22 points, while Hossein Rahmati collected 18 points and 11 rebounds. The top three teams from each group will advance to the second round of the championship. The top three teams from the FIBA Asia U-18 Championship will represent FIBA Asia at the 2013 FIBA U-19 World Championship which will be played in Czech Republic from 27 June-7 July 2013.