Rollers fall to Iran in Mitsubishi Electric Cup final

The Rollers fell behind from the opening tip, as Iran opened up a double digit advantage after the first quarter and would not relent, finishing a scorching 38-for-54 (70.4 percent) from the field.

Head coach Craig Friday lamented his sides lack of intensity in their first game with Iran last Thursday, and he once again was disappointed in the Rollers effort on Sunday.

“[We] didn’t turn up today. Poor intensity and application throughout and [we] couldn’t find a lineup that was able to defend them,” Friday said postgame.

Clarence McCarthy-Grogan led the Rollers with 17 points, while Tom O’Neill-Thorne was once again in double-digits, finishing with 10 points.

The loss caps four days of basketball in Tokyo for the Australians, finishing with two wins and two losses. Iran handed the Rollers both of their defeats, and while Friday was quick to credit the strong play of the Iranians, he remains determined to improve with the lessons learned from the trip.

“Credit to Iran, we need to get back to some hard work and attention to detail in defence back in our home ports now.”

The Rollers will return home with their attention now turning to Tokyo 2020 qualification, set to take place later in the year.

Tokyo – It was a tough day at the office for the Australian Rollers, as they were unable to keep pace with a red hot Iran squad, dropping the Mitsubishi Electric Cup final, 84-58