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| Matthew Nieto could not replicate his heroics last night as Ateneo wrapped up their Jones Cup campaign. Dennis Jerome Acosta/Dugout Philippines (file) |
Ateneo just fall short of the podium places as their proud stint in the 40th Jones Cup comes to an end at the hands of Iran's reserves, with the latter eked out a 70-63 win today in New Taipei's Xinzhuang Stadium
The Blue Eagles had their shots went out agonizingly in the second half, with the second squad of Team Melli did the job to get second place in the tournament in Taiwan by efficient shooting, especially hitting almost 41% from downtown.
Vahid Dalirzahan played the entire forty minutes of action to lead all scorers with 26 points, including 7/14 from beyond the arc with Rasoul Mozafarivanani helping the shooting guard with 16 as the Western Asian powerhouse ended their campaign at 7-1.
Last night's hero Matt Nieto lead Ateneo with 14 markers but it was their three-point shooting that deserted them when it mattered the most as they shot an atrocious 4/19 from deep to close out their stint at 5-3.
Iran's win seal them their runner-up finish when Canada's 3D Global kept the cup with a 99-84 win over Japan-B earlier in the day, with South Korea already locked in third place regardless of their result against Chinese Taipei-Blue.
THE SCORES:
IRAN 70 – Dalirzahan 26, Mozafarivanani 16, Vand 9, Mohammad 8, Azari 4, Khandanpour 4, Pazrofteh 3, Sheikhi 0, Bahramzad 0, Monji 0
ATENEO 63 – Matt Nieto 14, Ravena 12, Kouame 11, Mamuyac 9, Go 9, Mike Nieto 6, Navarro 2, Asistio 0, Verano 0, Andrade 0, Black 0, Maagdenberg 0
QUARTER SCORES: 15-14, 31-39, 54-50, 70-63
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