CHENZHOU (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017) - Petrochimi Iran asserted their dominance in a big 87-66 win over Chooks-To-Go Philippines to close out group play and seal second place in Group A.

It was a close fight for the first ten minutes of play before the Iranian champions shifted into high gear in the second period to lead by double-digits at halftime. They broke the game open and proceeded to cruise to their third win in four games, giving them the number two position in Group A and a face off with Taipei Dacin Tigers in the Quarter-Finals.

Foreign player Willie Warrn was the top gun for Petrochimi with 30 points, shooting 9-of-17 from the field including 4 three-pointers. The frontline duo of Arsalan Kazemi and Meisam Mirzaei also did well, combining for 29 rebounds as Petrochimi were too strong in the paint. Rising star Behnam Yakhchali added a dozen points in the win.

The Filipinos struggled with their offense all night long, making only 36% of their field goals. Isaiah Austin and Kiefer Ravena each tallied 20 points in the losing cause. Chooks-To-Go are set to face China Kashgar, which features naturalized Filipino Andray Blatche, in the next round.

FIBA