Iran defeats Japan in FIBA Asia Cup

TEHRAN,July 12(MNA) – Iran defeated Japan in its opening match of the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup on Friday. Reigning champion Iran beat Japan 66-56 in Pool A at the Wuhan Gymnasium in Wuhan, China. It was a repeat of the last edition’s final, where the West Asian team defeated host Japan 53–51. Iran is to play host China on Saturday. “They are doing a tremendous job, but the players also know we have a long international season ahead of us,” Memi Becirovic said in the post match news conference. “We certainly didn’t have the best of the starts, but then it’s certainly normal considering that this is our first game. We will improve as we go along,” he added. The winner of this tournament will automatically qualify for the FIBA Asia Championship in 2015. Iran has been drawn in Pool A along with host China, India, Indonesia and Japan.