M. Kamrani (bottom) of Iran falls down during a quarterfinal match between Iran and South Korea at 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 29, 2015. Iran won 75-62. (Xinhua/Zhang Chen)
CHANGSHA, China, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iran outrebounded South Korea to win the quarterfinal 75-62 here on Thursday at the FIBA Asia Championship and will meet the winner between China and India in Friday's semifinals.
The defending champion scored the first seven points of the game, built a 15-point bulge at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, once leading by as many as 23 points.
The South Koreans sputtered from long range here, making just two of their 13 three-point shots. They were outrebounded 24-44 and also outscored in the paint, 28-44.
Hamed Haddadi unloaded 18 points and 14 rebounds in 25 minutes for Iran. Starting shooting guard Hamed Afagh added 11 points and three triples, but unfortunately strained his ankle and may miss the semifinals.
South Korea drew 10 points from Kim Jong-Kyu and Moon Tae-Young while captain Yang Dong-Geun, who used to be very efficient, had a subpar game, finishing with only six points, one rebound and three assists. It is the first time since 2009 for South Korea to miss the quarterfinals.
Speaking of their semifinal opponent, most likely host China, Iran coach Dirk Bauermann said that it would a tough match.0 "China has great length. They are well-coached and have a very good defence," added the German.
