By REYNALD MAGALLON
Iran missed two crucial shots from point-blank range to drop a 91-93 overtime defeat against New Zealand in the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, Aug. 28.
Tall Black’s Sam Waardenburg blocked the first attempt of Team Melli’s Mohammad Amini before the Kiwis did enough to bother Alireza Sharifi on the missed putback to pull off the great escape.
New Zealand improved to a 5-2 record, catching Iran on the same slate in the Group E standings. The Iranian’s defeat also came ahead of its all-important clash against Gilas Pilipinas on Sunday, Aug. 30 on the same venue.
Shea Ili led the way for New Zealand with 24 points and six assists while Sam Mennenga had 15 points and 14 rebounds. Reuben Te Rangi had 13 while Waardenburg finished with 11.
Matin Aghajanpour paced Iran with 19 points while Mohammad Amini and Seyed Mahdi Jafari had 16 and 14, respectively.
