The Iran men’s national team bounced back from an 11-point loss in the opener of a two-game exhibition series with Japan, winning 73-68 on Saturday in Sapporo.
Small forward Mohammad Jamshidijafarabadi paced Iran with 26 points, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Teammates Sajjad Mashayekhi, Vahid Dalirzahan and Rouzbeh Arghavan added 13 points apiece.
Iran outrebounded Japan 37-26. Arsalan Kazemi Naeini grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Japan led 35-30 at halftime.
The visitors outscored took a 50-47 advantage into the final quarter.
Daiki Tanaka scored 14 points for Japan, which won the series opener 85-74 on Friday night. Interim head coach Luka Pavicevic’s club sank 4 of 14 3s after making 12 of 23 in the first game.
Makoto Hiejima and Kosuke Takeuchi both had 12-point outings. Ira Brown and Yuki Togashi both chipped in with nine points. Togashi also dished out four assists and had a team-high four turnovers.
The Akatsuki Five forced 20 turnovers, with nine players getting one or more steals against Iran.
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