Gilas neutralizes Iran to take care of business at home
SAN FRANCISCO, United States — Flawless window for Gilas Pilipinas.
Gilas Pilipinas completed a clean sweep of the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers after pulling away from Iran, 68-56, Sunday evening at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Philippines trailed by double digits early but recovered just in time, pulling off a late run to grab the win to defend home court.
Juan Gomez-de Liano and Dwight Ramos powered Gilas with 16 points each. The former tallied three rebounds and an assist on a 5-of-9 shooting clip from the field off the bench, while the latter recorded seven boards, two steals, a dime and a block.
Kai Sotto also imposed his will inside with 13 points and 16 rebounds, to go with three assists.
After falling behind by 13 points in the first quarter, Gilas led by two, 49-47, heading to the fourth quarter.
A Robin Sheikhi triple pushed Iran ahead, 52-49, with nine minutes to go.
A pair of free throws by AJ Edu and a 3-pointer by Gomez-de Liano, then, gave Gilas a two point lead, 54-52.
A Mohammad Amini deuce tied things up anew, 54-all, before the Nationals finished things off with a massive 14-2 run, as Ramos, Sotto and Edu teamed up in the backbreaking blitz.
Gilas trailed by as much as 13 points, 18-5, early on, but the Philippines outscored Iran 27-11 from that point to take the lead, 32-29, in the second.
This set the stage to a nip-and-tuck ballgame, before the late rally.
Edu chipped in eight points and eight rebounds for the home squad, while Kevin Quiambao and June Mar Fajardo added six points apiece.
This may already be Fajardo’s final game in a Gilas jersey.
Sheikhi was the lone double-digit scorer for Iran with 21 points, two rebounds and an assist. Amini backed him up with seven points, seven rebounds and five assists.
The Filipinos have now won back-to-back in the qualifiers. They finish the window with a 4-4 win-loss record, putting themselves at a strong position to push for a top-three finish.
Iran, on the other hand, dropped to 5-3, tied with Jordan.
Australia remains on top of the standings with an 8-0 record, while New Zealand is at 6-2. Syria is at the bottom of the barrel with a 2-6 slate.
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