Indian men falter against powerhouse Iran at the 39th William Jones Cup Invitational

• On day four of the William Jones Cup, the Indian men’s basketball team lost 44-88 to Iran’s national team.
• India had fewer turnovers than Iran, but were outrebounded 51-26.
• Forward Prasanna Venkatesh Sivakumar posted 12 points and 6 rebounds.
• Next up, the Indian men play Lithuania on 19^th July at 1300 hrs CST (1030 IST).

File photo: Indian men vs Iraq 39th William Jones Cup Invitational. Image credits: Basketball Federation of India

Bengaluru, 18^th July 2017:  The Indian men’s basketball team suffered a tough loss against Iran’s national team on Day 4 of the William Jones Cup. Iran took the lead early in the first quarter and never relinquished it en route to an 88-44 victory.

India had fewer turnovers than their opponents, but were out-rebounded 51-26. In contrast, the men from Iran were red hot from the field, shooting at a high 60%. They were led in scoring by Navid Khajehzadeh, who came off the bench to drop 21 points.

For India, the silver lining was a good performance from forward Prasanna Venkatesh Sivakumar, who had 12 points and 6 rebounds.

The Indian men will be hoping for a turnaround when they take the court against Lithuania on 19^th July at 1300 hrs CST (1030 IST).

Iran (Navid Khajehzadeh 21 pts; Navid Rezaeifar 19 pts; Sajjad Pazrofteh 16 pts) bt India (Prasanna Venkatesh Sivakumar 12 pts, 6 rebs; Amjyot Singh Gill 8 pts, 6 ast) 88-44 [14-8, 23-12, 22-14, 29-10]

About the William Jones Cup

The William Jones Cup is a basketball tournament that has been held annually in Taipei since 1977. The tournament was named in honour of Renato William Jones, who was one of the founders of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). One team represents each country, and that team could be the national team, a professional club, or a college team. The tournament will be played in a single round-robin format, and the final points tally will determine the placing of the teams.

This is the 39^th edition of the tournament, and all the games will be played at the Basketball Stadium of Heping Elementary School, Taipei City.

The William Jones Cup will serve as excellent competitive exposure for India ahead of the FIBA Men’s Asia Cup to be held in Lebanon from 8^th to 20^th August 2017.

Last year, Phillipines’ Mighty Sports club team took gold in the men’s tournament, while South Korea and Republic of China (i.e. Chinese Taipei) – Blue finished second and third respectively. India finished 1-7 in this edition.

List of participating teams

1. Canada 3D Global Sports
2. India National Team
3. Iran National Team
4. Iraq National Team
5. Japan National Team
6. Korea National Team
7. Lithuania Atletas Team
8. Philippines National Team
9. Chinese Taipei National Team A
10. Chinese Taipei National Team B

India’s full schedule

• 15^th July, 1100 hrs CST (or 0830 hrs IST)- versus Iraq
• 16^th July, 1100 hrs CST (or 0830 hrs IST)- versus South Korea
• 17^th July, 1900 hrs CST (or 1730 hrs IST)- versus Republic of China – Blue
• 18^th July, 1500 hrs CST (or 1230 hrs IST)- versus Iran
• 19^th July, 1300 hrs CST (or 1030 hrs IST)- versus Lithuania
• 20^th July, 1500 hrs CST (or 1230 hrs IST)- versus Republic of China – White
• 21^st July, 1100 hrs CST (or 0830 hrs IST)- versus Canada
• 22^nd July, 1300 hrs CST (or 1030 hrs IST)- versus Philippines
• 23^rd July, 1500 hrs CST (or 1230 hrs IST)- versus Japan

Official website: www.jonescup.choxue.com/

INDIAN CONTINGENT FOR THE 39^TH WILLIAM JONES CUP

*PG – Point Guard / Feeder, G – Guard, F – Forward, G/F – Wing, PF – Power Forward, C – Centre, PF/C – Post