FIBA Asia Championships 2015: Semi-Finals Results and Final Schedule
The FIBA Asia semifinals kicked off on Friday, with four hopeful teams battling it out for a place in the final. With the tournament's lone undefeated team in action and the defending champion also vying for a spot, the semifinals promised to be a tense, exciting affair.
Let's break down the action and take a look at the championship schedule.
Scores
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| China | 70-57 | Iran |
| Gilas Pilipinas | 81-70 | Japan |
Final Schedule
| Chine vs. Gilas Pilipinas | Saturday, Oct. 3 at 8:30 a.m. ET | LiveBasketball.TV |
China 70, Iran 57
China jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, knocking off the defending champions, Iran, to advance to the FIBA Asia final.
Yi Jianlian paced the Chinese with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Guo Ailun did a bit of everything for the winning side, scoring nine points, dishing out six assists, adding three rebounds and two steals. Jianlian also provided one of the highlights of the game with this monster dunk:
Hamed Haddadi's double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) wasn't enough to save Iran.
The unbeaten Chinese jumped out to an early 21-12 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, though Iran did cut the deficit to six points with six minutes remaining. The Chinese remained resolute in front of their home crowd, however, holding off Iran's surge.
China's size and physicality makes the them tough for any opponent. The country blocked eight shots on Friday and also dished out 13 assists. China also executed and took its opportunities, shooting 48.6 percent on two-point buckets and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Depth also played a major factor, as the team got 22 points from its bench.
China now awaits the winner of the other semifinal between Gilas Pilipinas and Japan.
Gilas Pilipinas 81, Japan 70
The big guns came out for Gilas on Friday, as Andray Blatche (22 points, 13 rebounds), Jayson Castro William (20 points, seven assists) and Dondon Hontiveros (18 points) led the country to an 81-70 win on Friday.
"We didn't come here to play in the finals, we came here to win gold," said head coach Tab Baldwin, via Inquirer Sports on Twitter.
Gilas exploded in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Japanese 27-16 after the game was tied heading into the final frame. Makoto Hiejima did everything in his power to keep the Japanese alive, scoring 28 points, notching seven rebounds, dishing out two assists and nabbing two steals, but his teammates weren't able to keep pace with the deep Gilas side.
Gilas outplayed the Japanese on the perimeter, sinking 12 three-pointers (41.9 percent from beyond the arc), though Japan was solid on the block, scoring 34 points in the paint and 24 points from the charity stripe (82.8 percent).
Gilas has the best player in the tournament (Blatche) and the red-hot William, so they'll be a tough out, even for an undefeated Chinese team that has serious length and talent down low. With a guaranteed berth in the 2016 Olympics on the line,
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