As was the case in 2014, India stumbled in the quarter-final stage of the FIBA Asia Challenge with hosts Iran running riot in the third and fourth quarters to register a 77-47 win. Hamed Haddadi was the star for Iran, scoring 17 points. Oshin Sahakian scored 16, while Behnam Yakhchali netted 15 to help Iran register their place in the last-four, after Iraq pulled off a stunning upset to beat the mighty Chinese. South Korea had also booked a spot, beating Chinese Taipei.
The hosts dominated the board in the early stages of the game, but the Indians were not far behind at halftime, trailing 31-38. Almost nothing went India's way after that as the Iranians went on rampage. A 2-26 rout in the third quarter virtually handed the match to the Iranians.
India's defence continued to be shambolic in the final quarter before Vishesh Bhriguvanshi's three-pointer brought back some parity. Iran were on a 0-21 run prior to that. The seven-feet-two-inch Haddadi, eventually, proved to be too much to handle for the hapless Indians. Even in attack, Bhriguvanshi was the lone bright spot, netting 14 points. Amritpal Singh and Amjyot Singh's displays were below par compared to their comprehensive performance against Kazakhstan in the previous round.
