Matin Aghajanpour (R) of Iran celebrates with a teammate after the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's men's basketball team missed out on the bronze medal at the Asian Games after losing 79-70 to Iran in the third-place game here on Sunday.
Iran took an early 8-2 lead before China responded with a 10-0 run to take the advantage in the first period. The two sides were tied at 42-42 with four minutes 30 seconds left in the third quarter, before Iran launched a 13-4 run to enter the final period with a nine-point lead.
Following a 3-pointer from Matin Aghajanpour, Iran extended its advantage to 13 points. Pang Zhenglin's driving layup and Li Hongquan's consecutive 3-pointers helped China close the gap to 62-63. However, led by Aghajanpour, Iran mounted another 16-8 run to secure the victory.
"It was an important game for us, especially for the young players. We put our heart out on the floor. We really wanted it more. We hustled really well. We dived for every loose ball and eventually we won the game," said Iran's Mohammad Jamshidi afterwards.
Only two Chinese players scored in double digits. Pang scored a team-high 22 points, and Li contributed 12. Aghajanpour led Iran with a team-high 21 points, while Piter Girgoorian added 15.
"We didn't do well in defense and rebounding today, nor did we execute our pre-game tactics on the court. We controlled the tempo for a while in the second half, but failed to adjust after committing turnovers," said China captain Hu Mingxuan.
"Iran earned this win because they played harder than us, and they played tough. They had more energy than us, and they wanted this game. They played much better than us. That's why they beat us," China forward Cui Yongxi added.
China head coach Guo Shiqiang expressed his regret over the defeat, admitting that his team was outplayed on the court.
"We have many young players who lack experience in major tournaments, and we didn't perform well in crucial moments. The players were quite fatigued in the last two games. During the group stage, we only had a nine-man rotation at one point, and some players had heavy minutes, resulting in significant physical exhaustion," Guo said. ■
Players of Iran celebrate after the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
Members of Iran celebrate after the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
Members of Iran celebrate after the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
Pang Zhenglin (L) of China vies with Mohammad Heydari of Iran during the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
Wang Junjie (R) of China vies with Arman Zanganeh of Iran during the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
Liao Sanning (L) of China breaks through during the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
Players of China cheer up before the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
Pang Zhenglin (C) of China competes during the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
Guo Shiqiang, headcoach of China, reacts during the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
Pang Zhenglin (L) of China competes during the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
Cui Yongxi (R) of China breaks through during the men's bronze medal match between China and Iran at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
