TEHRAN – Iran basketball team unbelievably lost to Syria in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers on Monday.

The Persians, who had humiliated the Syrian team 94-48 in last year’s February, lost 77-70 to the team in Doha, Qatar in Group E.

George Earl Kell III had an impactful game for Syria, doing a little bit of everything to end up with 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Mohammad Jamshidi scored 13 points for Iran.

Iran started the second window with a 71-64 win over Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

Mehran Shahintab’s team will have to wait for the third and final window, where they will meet Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

There are 24 teams competing in the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers. Once the three windows of the Qualifiers conclude, the top two teams in each group will qualify directly to Asia Cup 2021. The six last-placed teams in each group are eliminated.

Meanwhile, the six third-placed teams in each group will then play in a separate qualifying tournament. Teams will be placed into two different groups of three teams. The top two teams of those respective groups will then lock in their spots at Asia Cup 2021, completing the 16-team roster who will also compete in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers.