ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Jordan's Jalen Harris is still on fire.
After threatening to break the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers all-time scoring record in Window 1 with a 42-point masterpiece, Harris was back at it again.
He torched the Iran backcourt with 29 points on 4 three-pointers and a perfect 9-9 shooting from the line to help Jordan get the important win.
Nothing defined this dominant performance more than Harris's poster dunk over Matin Aghamanpour early in the first quarter.
It was so good, you just have to see it twice.
Player | Team | Points | 3PM | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jalen Harris | Jordan | 29 | 4 | 9-9 |
Iran did everything they could, but couldn't break free from the talons of the Jordan Falcons' defense.
In the process Jordan registered their second straight win over Team Melli, since the Asia Cup 2022.
Jordan's Big Three of Jalen Harris, Freddie Ibrahim and Ahmad Al Dwairi lived up to their billing, leading from the front through all four quarters.
For Iran, Asia Cup 2025 All-star guard Sina Vahedi and veteran forward Arsalan Kazemi battled hard, but couldn't prevent their first loss of the World Cup 2027 Qualifiers.
However, it was Harris who delivered the dagger three for Jordan with 3:30 remaining in the fourth period, that put this game firmly to bed.
While the scores remained close with neither side breaking completely free, Jordan appeared to be in control for the most part, so much so that they even had time to break some smiles at the cameras during their huddles.
With this win, Jordan maintained their position at the top of the Group C table, and are now closer to securing a berth in the Second Round of the Asian Qualifiers.
They Said
“Really proud of our group. Iran is obviously one of the better teams in Asia, and to be able to perform the way that we did here in Lebanon, specially on the defensive end of the floor, it really is helping us continue to grow as a program. Freddie [Ibrahim] led the team in rebounds and I think that says a lot about how hard our guys are playing, how much they’re competing, how much they’re playing for each other and great win for Jordan.” – Jordan Coach Roy Rana
“It was always going to be a dog fight with Iran. They are a very physical team but I feel like we used the time that we had to prepare for this game very detailed about what we needed to do, whether our defense, we stopped them to 25 percent from three, and they shoot almost 40. There are a few things we can get better on, which is the turnovers but I feel those are things you can easily get better with over time. I feel like it was definitely a big step forward to stay first place.” – Freddie Ibrahim (JOR)
“Let’s be honest, Jordan played better than us. It was clear. On the other hand I think we fought a lot, defensively we forced them to have 18 turnovers. Offensively though, we were not making the shots. We had wide open shots we didn’t make them and that’s why Jordan had the lead for most of the game. Three-and-a-half minutes before the end of the game I believe we had a good chance. Our tempo was with us. We had our chance. We missed it.” – Iran Head Coach Sotirios Alex Manolopoulos
“We did not follow our game plan and the result doesn’t surprise me.” – Arsalan Kazemi (IRI)
FIBA