The national Iranian men's basketball squad got the better of the Lithuanian team with an 85-70 victory to capture the 2016 Atlas International Challenge title at the Suzhou Sports Center in China on Sunday evening.

The Iranians were fresh off an 80-66 routing of Team China in the semifinal round of the eight-team tournament, entering the championship round unbeaten in the group stage. Iran defeated Macedonia in a close 80-75 victory in the opener and outlasted the United States, which was being represented by the American collegiate Idaho Vandals, with a 71-62 win.

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Former NBA player Hamed Haddadi finished the game with 22 points to lead Iran to the championship title of the China-based basketball tourney, which is in just its second year.

Haddadi, 31, has been playing for the national basketball squad for nearly a decade. The 7-foot-2-inch Iranian has played for the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns in the NBA and has been a significant player for the Sichuan Blue Whales in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Iran currently ranks 17^th in the FIBA world rankings, and the eight-team international basketball tournament serves as the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship winners  tune-up before the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT)that will be held at the Pal Alpitour Indoor Sports arena in Turin, Italy, from July 4 to July 9.

According to FIBA.com, at the OQT in Turin, the two-time Olympic qualifier belonged to Group A, which includes Greece and Mexico. If Iran finishes in the top two in the group stage, they will advance to the semifinal round and face a team from Group B, which comprises Italy, Tunisia, and Croatia.

Only the winner of the OQT will advance to participate in the upcoming Rio Games this August. Iran played at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing; however, they failed to qualify for the event four years ago in London.

TagsHamed Haddadi, chinese basketball association, NBA, Sichuan Blue Whales, FIBA, 2016 Rio Olympics, 2016 atlas challenge