Iran NT defeat Powerade Team Pilipinas, 85-60

Powerade-Team Pilipinas simply had no answer to Iran’s might and height, yielding an 85-60 setback to the reigning FIBA-Asia men’s champion as it closed its campaign in the 31st William Jones Cup tournament on a losing note Sunday in Taipei .

The Nationals found themselves trailing early on, 14-7, and eventually got buried at the half, 51-23.

Game over.

“Game was very easy, no problem," said Iran coach Vaselin Matic, who inherited the post from Rajko Toroman, now the mentor of the RP Smart Gilas team.

The meeting was the first between the two teams since the 2007 FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship – an Olympic qualifying tournament – in Tokushima, Japan, which the Iranians eventually ruled. Iran also prevailed during that game, 75-69.

We had no solution to their height advantage, we just couldn’t match up with their size," said national coach Yeng Guiao.

The Nationals wrapped up their campaign with a 2-6 slate, good for sixth spot, three rungs lower than the third place finish of their 2007 predecessors.

They are set to return to the country on Monday.

Shrugging off a hit sustained from Ranidel de Ocampo that produced a bruise above his right eye, Iran’s 7-foot-3 behemoth Hamed Ehadadi proved to be the key to Iran’s complete dominance in every aspect of the game.

The Memphis Grizzlies big man finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

With Toroman, who coached them in Tokushima, watching at sideline of the Hsinchuang gym, the Iranians delivered an awesome performance that installed them as a force to reckon with in the 25th FIBA Asia Men’s Championship in Tianjin, China next month.

In an earlier game, Japan, reduced to five players, including the veteran Takehiko Orimo, after the rest of the team succumbed to intestinal flu, fell to Taiwan-B, 97-91.

Food poisoning also claimed players from other teams, including Ehadadi who was brought to the hospital and was absent when host Taiwan stunned Iran, 80-76, Saturday.

With Iran’s second loss, Jordan, which walked out of its Thursday game with the Iranians in disgust over officiating, revived its bid for a third straight championship.

Lebanon, on the other hand, scuttled the hopes of South Korea after Matt Freije unloaded 39 points and hauled down 11 rebounds in a 97-79 rout.

The Jordanians (6-1) were to aim for the title against Kazakhstan after the RP-Iran game. -

The scores:

Iran 85 - Ehadadi 19 Bahrami 18, Afagh 14, Tadjik 11, Kamrany 9, Sahakian 6, Amini 3, Davoudi 2, Davarpanah 2, Akbari 1, Doraghi 0, Davari 0.

Team Pilipinas 60 - Thoss 13, Baguio 12, Santos 9, Aguilar 7, Dillinger 5, De Ocampo 4, Raymundo 3, Miller 3, Taulava 2, Norwood 2.

Quarterscores: 25-12; 41-23; 74-43; 85-60