TAIPEI - Iran’s basketball team beat Lebanon in the 31st William Jones Cup tournament at the Hsinchuang Gymnasium in Taiwan on Friday.

Iran, who had defeated Lebanon in the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship for Men and the Doha International Friendship Basketball Championship last month, beat the team 81-70. The Persians are to play Taiwan on Saturday.
A total of nine teams including Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, South Korea and Taiwan have participated in the tournament.
The tournament was first held in 1977 and was named after basketball promoter and co-founder of the International Basketball Federation, Renato William Jones.
Iran prepares itself to participate in the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship in August in Tianjin, China