Posted at 6:18 a.m., Sunday, August 5, 2007
Olympics: Iran basketball team earns '08 Games berth
Associated Press
TOKUSHIMA, Japan — Iran's basketball team won a spot in the Beijing Olympics, defeating Lebanon, 74-69, today in the final of the FIBA Asia Championship.Iran, playing in its first Asia Championship final, was the only team from the 16-nation tournament to earn a place in the 2008 Summer Games.
Lebanon and South Korea could advance to Beijing through a qualifying tournament in July 2008. Earlier Sunday, South Korea defeated Kazakhstan 80-76 to win the bronze medal.
Hamed Ehadadi led Iran with 31 points. Lebanon's Omar ElTurk hit a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left to cut Iran's lead to 70-68, but Ehadadi's jump shot with 20 seconds left gave Iran a 72-68 lead.
