Iran’s Naft Abadan 3rd at FIBA Asia Champions Cup
Naft Abadan, who had already defeated Bahrain’s Al-Muharraq in the preliminary round, defeated the team once again 81-69 in the third-place play-off.
Palayesh Naft Abadan of Iran finished in third place in the 2019 FIBA Asia Champions Cup on Sunday.
Alvark Tokyo will meet Al Riyadi Beirut of Lebanon in the final match.
The 2019 FIBA Asia Champions Cup is the 28th staging of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, the international basketball club tournament of FIBA Asia.
The competition is being held in Thailand from September 24 to 29.
Alvark Tokyo displayed their determination to avenge last year’s loss to beat Al Riyadi 98-74 and claim their first ever FIBA Asia Champions Cup title.
The two-time B. League champions had lost in Final of the 2018 edition of the competition and came back stronger and focused to win it all this time. The title is the first ever by a Japanese Club in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup.
Alvark’s Alex Kirk had 18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in the win and was named the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2019 MVP. He is joined by Daiki Tanaka, Wael Arakji, Hamed Haddadi(Iran’s Naft Abadan), and Kevin Murphy.