Nagoya, Japan, September 10, 2026: The men’s basketball competition got the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 underway at the Aichi International Arena on Thursday, September 10.
Playing in Group B, Qatar defeated the Islamic Republic of Iran 59-53 in a low-scoring match thanks to a breakout second quarter.
The score was 10-10 at the end of the first quarter before Qatar romped away in the second, winning it 21-11 to lead 31-21 at the half.
The third quarter finished 13-13 and Qatar hung on for the victory, despite Iran fighting back and winning the fourth quarter 19-15.
Guard Mike Lewis led all scorers with 21 points and forward Dejan Janjic added 11. Power forward Matin Aghajanpour led Iran’s reply with 15 points.
"We know we need to win at least one game so we can qualify for the next round," Lewis told AFP.
"Feels good to get some team camaraderie back, and now we have got to keep going."
Later in Group B, Chinese Taipei defeated Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games silver medal-winners Jordan 83-80
Group A: South Korea vs Saudi Arabia, Japan vs Indonesia.
