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source: fibaasia.net

LIZHOU, China – Guard Mahdi Kamrani was efficient as ever and center Asghar Kardoust displayed some delightful form early on, but those proved insufficient for FIBA Asia champions Iran in the opening game of the Continental Cup international tournament against Slovenia on Thursday.

Slovenia won over Iran NT, 107-74.

In another game, China too commanded the game, but allowed Australia to fight back in the fourth quarter and get away with a 64-63 win.

Kardoust scored the first five points of the game and Iran were off to a 14-4 lead early in the game against the Eurobasket 2009 semifinalists, but Slovenia hit slowly and steadily.

Sani Becirovic, son of Slovenia’s coach Memi Becirovic, made his father proud with a game-high 23-point haul.

Phoenix Sun guard Goran Dragic who made the Slovenian roster just in the nick of time for the competition added 15 points, and Primo Brezec had 13.

Iran, playing without Hamed Haddadi who is yet to join the team from the NBA Summer League, were hard-pressed against the sustained pressure from a much taller opposition and had to bow down.

Kamrani scored 22 points to keep Iran afloat.

China began with caution against Australia, and trailed 16-17 at the end of the first quarter. But a scoring advantage of 21-11 in the second quarter took China to a 37-28 lead going into the changing rooms.

That advantage proved a flash in the pan as Australia led by Patty Mills’ 13 points and Matt Nielsen’s dozen clawed their way back to cut the lead down to six points at the end of the third quarter (44-50) and went on to win 64-63.

With the score 62-63, and only seconds left in the game, Mills drove and set up David Andersen to complete a lay-up, which took Australia to victory.

China’s NBA star Yi Jianlian, playing for the National Team for the first time this year, led the game for scoring with 17 points.

The 23-year-old power forward who was traded by New Jersey Nets to Washington Wizards for the NBA 2010 season also collected 10 rebounds.

Seasoned campaigner Wang Zhizhi had 12 points and Liu Wei 11, but China’s poor free-throw conversion rate let them down.

China converted only 10 of their 23 attempts from the foul-line.

All the four teams are using the tournament to prepare for the 2010 FIBA World Championship to be played in Turkey from Aug 28-Sept 12.

Iran, who won the FIBA Asia Championship last year and Slovenia, who were pipped to the bronze medal by Greece in the Eurobasket 2009 are drawn together in Group ‘B’ of the Preliminary Round at Turkey.

China, who lost to Iran in the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship gold medal game, are drawn in Group C and FIBA Oceania champions Australia in Group A.

FIBA Asia

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