In the return of the reigning FIBA Asia Cup MVP, Wael Arakji, Lebanon secured an 81-73 victory over regional rival Iran, concluding its campaign in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 on Saturday evening at the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta.
The Cedars finished the tournament with a 2-3 record, while Team Melli joined Jordan and Venezuela as the only squads to go winless in their campaigns. But due to point differential Iran will finish in 31st place.
Lebanon’s victory also elevated the host team, the Philippines, to become the second-best Asian squad at the end of the global showcase’s classification phase.
Back-to-back AND1 conversions by Mohammadsina Vahedi capped Iran’s 19-4 run, trimming a 19-point deficit to just four with 38 seconds left. However, Lebanon’s lead proved to be insurmountable as five free throws from Karim Ezzedine sealed the Cedars’ second straight win in the World Cup, 79-70.
Two consecutive baskets from Iran mainstay Hamed Haddadi chopped the deficit to ten in the third frame, but an eight-point swing by Mezher and returning gunner Arakji gave the Cedars a significant 18-point lead, 60-42.
In his return, Arakji paced the Cedars with 21 points, three rebounds, and seven assists, while he received ample support from Haidar’s 20 points and two other double-digit scorers in Sergio El Darwich’s 11 and Ezzedine’s 10.
Mohammad Amini’s 22 points proved to be not enough to hand Team Melli’s first World Cup win, while 38-year-old Haddadi — in his final World Cup — contributed 14 points and eight rebounds.
With the win, Lebanon notched its second win against Iran in FIBA play, elevating its head-to-head count to a 2-4 slate.
In the earlier match, France pulled away late to triumph over Ivory Coast and snagged its third and final win in the global showcase, 87-77.
Les Bleus ended their World Cup run with a 3-2 record, while Les Elephants concluded with a 1-4 slate.
After a pull-up jumper by Assemian Moulare gave Ivory Coast a one-point lead with three minutes left, but back-to-back inside hits by Isaia Cordinier and Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, coupled by a five-point swing from Sylvain Francisco and Nando De Colo ignited France’s 9-0 finishing blow, 83-75.
In a back-and-forth first-half affair, France created separation from Ivory Coast through a third-quarter 17-6 run, capped by a three-pointer and layup from Francisco to gain a six-point lead heading into the payoff period, 60-54.
Both teams kept themselves in pace with each other throughout the game with 21 lead changes and six ties throughout their final match in the World Cup.
However, France’s interior presence prevented Ivory Coast from taking the win, scoring 38 points in the paint compared to the African squad’s 26.
Cordinier paced Les Bleus in the win with an all-around stat line of 19 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal, while Gobert came through with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Fellow NBA talents, Los Angeles Clippers Forward and New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier, struggled, only being able to score four and two points, respectively.
Coming from a scoreless outing in their loss against Iran last Thursday, Nisre Zouzoua’s bounce-back game propelled Les Elephants’ offense with 18 points, while Solo Diabate and Vafessa Fofana chipped in 13 points each.
In the first international play match between the two squads, France drew first blood over the African-based team. Ivory Coast, on the other hand, snagged its second-ever World Cup win since 2010 after outlasting Iran last Monday, Aug. 28. (Ernest Martin Tuazon)
The Scores:
First Game:
France (87) – Cordinier 19, Gobert 17, Francisco 15, De Colo 13, Okobo 10, Batum 4, Fall 4, Yabusele 3, Fournier 2, Tarpey 0, Ouattara 0.
Ivory Coast (77) – Zouzoua 18, Fofana 13, Diabate 13, Dally 9, Sidibe 8, Moulare 7, Dadiet 5, Bah 2, Tape 0, Fofana 0
Quarterscores: 25-21, 40-41, 62-61, 87-77
Second Game:
Lebanon (81) – Arakji 21, Haidar 20, El Darwich 11, Ezzedine 10, Spellman 9, Zeinoun 6, Mezher 4, Alkhoury 0, Khalil 0, Saoud 0
Iran (73) – Amini 22, Ehaddadi 14, Aghajanpour 12, Mirzaei 8, Vahedi 6, Mashayekhi 5, Yakhchali 4, Kazemi 2, Aliakbari 0, Girgoorian 0, Rezaeifar 0
Quarterscores: 20-13, 48-36, 62-49, 81-73
