Oshin Sahakian of Iran (left) battles with Ding Jinhui of China in their basketball semifinal at the 16th Asian Games on Thursday. China won 68-65.[Photo/Agencies]

GUANGZHOU - Wang Shipeng was the savior of Chinese basketball on Thursday night when his three-pointer led the host to a 68-65 victory over Iran and a berth in the Asian Games final.

The Chinese shooting guard scored with 13 seconds left in the semifinal to send the defending champion past Iran and into its third straight Asian Games gold-medal game.

China suffered a humiliating 70-52 loss to Iran at last year's Asian Championship final on home court, and it was heading in the same direction in early play on Thursday before the players started to gel and find their feet - not to mention the basket.

"Last year was a scar on Chinese basketball," said Wang, who played 22 minutes in that fateful game and didn't score. "So we were desperate to win the game."

He led China in the Guangzhou grudge match with 20 points and shot 50 percent from outside the arc.

"We'd been preparing for this moment since the first day of the Asian Games, and I think today we got a lot of things off our chest," he said.

China coach Bob Donewald Jr, who replaced Guo Shiqiang in April, was quick to praise a team that he has guided to only one win - over African minnow Cote d'Ivoire at the World Championships in Turkey.

"A lot of guys stepped up tonight. We are a team and I think a lot of guys played a good game," said Donewald, who told his players to "fight like wild dogs" before the game.

"Our defense was very well organized and that was the foundation of our victory."

Iran coach Veselin Matic blamed the scheduling of his team's games for its lackluster performance. Most of Iran's games began at 9:30 pm.

"We were arriving back at the Athletes' Village at midnight, so all the players were worn out," said Matic, adding the team ate, stretched then finally slept at 3 am on post-game days.

"We played a tough game (today)," he said. "There has to be a winner in a basketball game and today it was China."

China will next face Korea, which eliminated Japan 55-51 to book its berth in Friday's final, and which is looking to reprise its gold-medal run at the Busan Asian Games it hosted in 2002.

"We have faith in ourselves that we can do it," said Korea coach Yoo Jae-hak.

"We know the strengths and weaknesses of the Chinese players, and we have no intention of letting them play to their strengths."