FIBA Asia Cup: Iran and South Korea progress

The quarterfinals of the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 are underway. There were two contests on Wednesday as the one of the tournament favourites, the Philippines, played South Korea and Lebanon hosted Iran. The final two games of the last eight will take place on Thursday. However, today there was plenty of action and one very important shock.

Philippines vs. South Korea, 86-118

Arguably the biggest shock of the FIBA Asia Cup saw high flying South Korea take out the Philippines in a stunning performance. Let’s remember, the Philippines were one of the favourites for the title and have looked excellent this week. However, South Korea put on an offensive masterclass that saw the team 49-57 through halftime. In the second half, the scoring continued for South Korea, while it dried for the Philippines. Sek-Eun Oh continued his excellent scoring form with a 23 points hail in the winning effort.

Iran vs. Lebanon, 80-70

Alongside the Philippines and China, Iran is the other leading nation chasing the gold medal. However, the Iranians faced a tricky test in tournament hosts Lebanon. As it was, Iran secured a good victory to take its place in the final four. Iran led 18-12 through the first quarter and were 37-31 up through the long break. A 19-13 winning third act allowed Iran to pull ahead for good and cruise to victory through the fourth quarter. Hamed Hadidi was excellent with a massive double-double of 23 points and 20 rebounds.