In a dramatic encounter at the FIBA U-18 Asia Cup in Jordan on Tuesday, Iran held off a determined Indian squad, emerging victorious with a 70-53 win. The match followed a disappointing loss to Korea for Indian team, who demonstrated resilience but could not sustain their momentum.
India started the game with a strong defensive showing, managing to keep Iran, the tournament’s second-ranked team, to just an eight-point lead at halftime. After the break, India intensified their play, combining improved defense with effective offense, narrowing Iran’s lead to just one point at 44-45 within seven minutes.
However, the inexperienced Indian team struggled to maintain their composure. They made several critical errors and failed to score during the last three minutes of the third quarter. This lapse allowed Iran to regain control and extend their lead to ten points (54-44) heading into the final quarter.
In last period, India’s offense faltered, missing several open shots, while Iran capitalized on these opportunities, winning the fourth-quarter 16-9. Despite a strong performance, India ultimately fell short, with the quarter-wise scores showing Iran’s dominance: 22-16, 15-13, 17-15, 16-9.
India’s American head coach, Scott Flemming, reflected on the game, stating, “We had a lot of fight in us tonight. I thought overall our defense was effective. We really struggled shooting the ball and made several turnovers at crucial times. Although never happy with a loss, we did bounce back against a good team.”
Iran out-rebounded India 49-39 and scored 20 fast-break points compared to India’s eight. Despite India’s decent performance with 17 assists, their 19 turnover points were costly, allowing Iran to secure their second consecutive win in the 16-nation tournament.
For Iran, Mohammad Mahdi Heydari and Amirmahyar Keramati led the scoring with 18 and 13 points, respectively. Indian standout Mohammad Ishan, at 6-foot-7, scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Skipper Lavish and Sahibjit Singh Bhullar added seven points each.
India will look to rebound from this setback as they prepare to face Kuwait late Wednesday night.
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