SUZHOU, China – The Vandals ran into a tough, strong, veteran Iranian National Team on Wednesday, falling 71-62 in the second game of the Atlas Challenge.

Victor Sanders led the way for Idaho with 18 points, but he struggled from the field at 5-of-16 (31.3%).  Arkadiy Mkrtychyan also scored in double-figures, finishing with 10 points.  Point guard Pat Ingram led the squad with eight rebounds, including four offensive.

Trevon Allen saw significant minutes for the first time as a Vandal.  He finished with four points, one rebound and a game-high three assists.   

Idaho stayed close throughout, battling with the experienced squad to the final whistle.  Iran featured five athletes that competed at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championships and eight athletes that played in the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.  Iran's roster at the Atlas Challenge will likely carry over to Olympic qualifying in July.

The Vandals shot 20-of-64 (31.3%) from the floor and 5-of-20 (25.0%) from beyond the arc.  Iran won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Idaho 40-35.  Hamed Hadadi, the Iranian center, finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Idaho currently sits in a tie with Lithuania for second in group B at 1-1.  Iran leads the group at 2-0, while Macedonia is in fourth at 0-2.  New Zealand is atop group A at 2-0, with China (1-1), Japan (1-1) and Belarus (0-2) following.

The top two teams from both groups will advance to the knockout round on Saturday.  The bottom two teams will move to the losers' bracket, as all teams are guaranteed five games.  Idaho will likely need a win on Thursday to advance.

The Vandals close out group play against Macedonia on Thursday.  Check back with GoVandals.com following the game for the complete recap and stats.

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