PUERTO Rico rallied back to pull off a stunning victory over Iran, 83-81, on Saturday in Group C of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Guangzhou, China.
Javier Mojica had eight points and scored the game-winning jumper with 0.1 seconds left in the game for Puerto Rico to complete its comeback from 19 points down.
David Huertas topscored for Puerto Rico with 32 points, while Gary Browne had 10 points.
Former PBA import Renaldo Balkman of San Miguel had seven points and six rebounds.
The match looked headed for a blowout after Iran took a 44-25 lead in the second quarter, but Puerto Rico slowly climbed its way back.
Huertas hit a triple to put Puerto Rico on top, 81-78, but Hamed Haddadi responded with a triple for Iran to tie the game for the last time with four seconds left.
Mojica though preserved Puerto Rico’s effort by nailing a jumper to cap a thrilling finish.
Haddadi had 22 points and 16 rebounds for Iran, while Behnam Yakhchalidehkordi also had 22 points for Iran.
In other afternoon matches, Russia edged Nigeria, 82-77, in Group B play in Wuhan, while Poland routed Venezuela, 73-57, in Group A in Beijing.
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