Iran lost to Puerto Rico 83-81 in their opening match in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in Guangzhou, China on Saturday.
David Huertas had 32 points for Puerto Rico and Hamed Haddadi scored 22 points for Iran.
Puerto Rico showed fight in the third and fourth sets thanks to Huertas performance.
Both Iran and Puerto Rico are hoping for a place in the Second Round, with Spain being the obvious favorites, and Tunisia also in the mix.
Iran will play Tunisia and Spain on Sept. 2 and 4 respectively in Group C.
The tournament takes place in China and features 32 teams from around the globe.
After playing the other three teams in the group, the top two teams from each group will advance to the second round of the group phase. Teams will play two games each in the second group-phase round, and the top two teams from the four groups will advance to an eight-team, single-elimination tournament.
