Andray Blatche played for the Philippines team Gilas Pilipinas at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in China. (Photo : Facebook/Andray Blatche)
In the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, the Philippine basketball team Gilas Pilipinas beat Iran in a key second round game on Sept. 28, Monday, in Changsha, China, with final scores 87-73. This gave Iran its first defeat in the tournament.
In its first three games in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, Iran beat opponents by an average of 49 points. The third quarter of the match against the Philippines' Gilas Pilipinas was opened by Iran's Samad Nikkhah Bahrami with four straight points for their biggest lead with the scores 47-37, in favor of Iran.
However, Iran's lead was short-lived when the Philippines' Gilas Pilipinas star Jayson Castro teamed up with Andray Blatche for a 10-0 blast, erasing Iran's lead. In the third quarter, the Philippines' Terrence Romeo scored 12 of his 15 points.
Blatche also played Iran's center Hamed Haddadi to a virtual draw. Haddadi finished with only 10 points while Blatche finished with 18. This was the first time Blatche played against Iran, according to Inquirer.
In the fourth quarter, the Philippines' Gilas Pilipinas stars Gabe Norwood, Calvin Abueva and Marc Pingris kept the Philippines' lead and stopped Iran from catching up.
After giving Iran its first 2015 FIBA Asia Championship defeat, the Philippines' Gilas Pilipinas advanced in Group E with a carry-over record of 1-1. The team defeat Kuwait on Sept. 25, Friday, but its win over the country was not included because it has already been eliminated.
Rewatch the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship game between the Philippines and Iran via Sports 5.
