TEHRAN – 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.

Iran had a 70-53 lead with eight minutes left, and Puerto Rico ended up scoring 32 points in the last quarter and winning the game.

“I want to give credit to Iran, they played really well, and I am so proud of my teammates but the way we kept fighting,” said Huertas. “There’s no way to describe how I am feeling.”

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.