Iran’s professional basketball club Petrochimi Bandar Imam defeated Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas of the Philippines 85-66 in Group A of the 2017 FIBA Asia Champions Cup in China.
The Iranian team qualified for the knockout quarterfinal phase on Thursday as the second team behind Kazakhstan’s BC Astana, Tasnim News Agency reported.
It was a close fight for the first ten minutes in the game before the Iranian champions shifted into high gear in the second period to lead by double-digits at halftime. They broke the game open and proceeded to cruise to their third win in four games, giving them the number two position in Group A and a face off with Taipei Dacin Tigers in the Quarter-Finals.
Foreign player Willie Warrn was the top gun for Petrochimi with 30 points, shooting 9-of-17 from the field including 4 three-pointers. The frontline duo of Arsalan Kazemi and Meisam Mirzaei also did well, combining for 29 rebounds as Petrochimi were too strong in the paint. Rising star Behnam Yakhchali added a dozen points in the win.
The Filipinos struggled with their offense all night long, making only 36% of their field goals. Isaiah Austin and Kiefer Ravena each tallied 20 points in the losing cause. Chooks-To-Go are set to face China Kashgar, which features naturalized Filipino Andray Blatche, in the next round.
The 2017 FIBA Asia Champions Cup is the 26th of its kind. It is underway in Chenzhou, China from September 22-30. This is the second straight year that China is hosting the tournament.
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