SEREMBAN (Malaysia) - Iran earned a shot at completing their redemption story after advancing to the FIBA U16 Women's Asia Cup 2025-Division B Final following a 64-20 rout of Hong Kong, China Thursday night.
The West Asian side ran to a 16-5 start but it wasn't until the second period where they'd break the game wide open, limiting their foes to a measly four points as they built a 31-14 lead entering the intermission.
Coach Serveh Zarghamyan's unit maintained the intensity on both ends the rest of the way, completely having their way against the team from East Asia to eventually make it two Final appearances in a row for the program.
And, more importantly, give Team Melli a chance to finish what their predecessors couldn't - the Iranians made it all the way to the finale in 2023 only to see their Division A promotion bid get crushed by the Philippines.
Now, they're taking on India in the title bout on Friday, September 19, at 18:00 local time, looking to exact revenge against the unbeaten team as well after bowing to a 70-67 decision in their Group Phase encounter.
The SABA crew, currently at 4-0, reached the Final first after beating Indonesia, 65-53, earlier in the day.
All but two players scored at least a field goal in the triumph, with Elena Ahmadian leading the way with a game-high 14 points alongside 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks to submit a full line.
Hasti Khazaei finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds, while Anahita Aminidehyadegari nearly registered a double-double performance as she finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds which she laced with 2 steals.
Hong Kong, China, on the other hand, will try to take home the bronze medal as a consolation after falling short of the ultimate goal, as they're set to take on Indonesia in the Third-Place Game on Friday as well at 15:30.
It's also a chance for the team to better their finish from the 2023 competitions as they fell to Malaysia in the battle for third by way of a 52-46 decision, which foiled their attempt at winning a breakthrough medal.
FIBA