TEHRAN – Iran defeated Malaysia 65-59 in their opening match in the 2023 FIBA Women's Asia Cup Division B in Bangkok, Thailand.

Masoumeh Esmaeilzadeh had 13 points and 7 rebounds for Iran, while Malaysian Fook Yee YAP scored 28 points.  

Team Melli will meet Mongolia and Indonesia in Group A on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

This is Iran’s second appearance in a Women’s Asia Cup since the two-division format was applied after playing in 2021. They weren’t able to win a game, but they did only lose by single-digit margins in each contest.

Iran have come into this competition ready to compete, coming off playing a series of tune-up games in Taipei. Even though they were unable to claim a victory, Iran had the opportunity to play games against quality teams like Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei, and the Philippines.

Group B consists of Kazakhstan, Thailand, Jordan and Sri Lanka.