Gilas took a 63-61 lead after Gabe Norwood made two free throws with a little over two minutes to go, but Iran ended the game on a 7-0 blast to extend their mastery over the Philippines.
The game was a rematch of the finals of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, which Iran also won to take the gold medal.
It seemed as though Gilas would finally earn a win over Iran as they led by seven, 60-53, with 6:35 to go after Marc Pingris split his free throws.
Iran's Samad Nikkhah Bahrami sparked a comeback, however, and Mehdi Kamrani drilled a triple to give his team a 61-60 lead with 4:08 left.
Paul Lee tied the game with a split at the line, and Norwood's charities gave Gilas back the lead, but it would be the last time that the Filipinos got on the scoreboard as Iran wound up ending the game with a 15-3 run in the final five minutes.
Both Iran and the Philippines still advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Games basketball tournament, but Gilas finds itself in what may be a tougher group following this loss.
Lee finished with 11 points for Gilas, while Douthit scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Hamed Haddadi led the way for Iran with 20 points and 15 boards. Bahrami led all scorers with 21, and Kamrani added 12 markers.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
