Phl halts Jordan, reaches 2nd round

MANILA, Philippines - Mere mention of Jordan brought back bitter memories of the 2011 Asian championship until last night.

With a big fighting heart, Gilas Pilipinas stormed back from a lackluster first half with an offensive blitz somewhere in the third quarter and finally slayed the ghost of Wuhan, getting back at the Jordanians, 77-71, to gain automatic entry into the second round of preliminary stage of the 27th FIBA Asia Championships at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

“We were better tonight than the last time,” said Gilas coach Chot Reyes. “But I’m still not happy. We can be happy on Aug. 11 if we achieve our mission.”  

The Nationals got going in their return from the halftime break and put up a showcase of good basketball they weren’t able to deliver in a so-so win versus Saudi Arabia on opening day.

Jason Castro, limping with a sprained ankle in the last days of their buildup, was a bundle of energy, providing the spark and sustaining power as the Filipinos spanked the team that foiled their finals aspiration in the Wuhan joust two years ago.

Gilas Pilipinas and Chinese Taipei fight for a perfect record bringing into the next round as they slug it out at 8:30 p.m. tonight.

The Taiwanese joined the Filipinos in early second-round passage from Group A as they followed up their 91-87 decision over the Jordanians with a 90-67 thrashing of the Saudi squad.

Castro sizzled with good all-around numbers of 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal while Jeff Chan sparkled with five triples and a total of 17 points, and Marcus Douthit and Ranidel de Ocampo chipped in 11 points each.

The rest contributed to the total effort in a great final half highlighted by a stirring 17-to-nothing run in the third quarter.

The crowd started to get involved, providing added energy as the Nationals worked on a decisive run to storm ahead in the third, 57-47.

After a long chase, Team Phl grabbed the lead at 43-42 on a layup by Douthit. And the Nationals kept on going, making it a 17-0 roll that gave Gilas a 53-42 lead with 2:12 left in the third.

The first half was a long anxious moment for the host team and the hometown crowd.

Another jittery start had Gilas falling behind by 11 early and trailing by five at the half.

From 25-36 down, the Nationals applied a full-court pressure defense, pulling key defensive stops that allowed them to trim the gap, 33-38, after the first 20 minutes of play.

The Jordanians cashed in on the Filipinos’ miscues and defensive lapses as they seized the early initiative, opening up with an 18-7 run.

Chan and LA Tenorio strung up three straight treys as the Nationals charged to within three, 25-28.

Both teams worked the ball around looking for their outside shooters for most of the opening half.

Chan, Tenorio and De Ocampo combined for seven triples as against Jordan’s five, but the Jordanians struck a lot harder at the paint with a tall frontcourt.

Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei head coach Hsu Chin-Che said he’s looking forward to today’s game against Gilas Pilipinas.

But he reminded everyone inside the main press center of Mall of Asia Arena yesterday that “it’s just a game.”

There’s tension between the Philippines and Taiwan following the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard personnel last May.

It has put a strain in the relationship between the two countries, and has spilled over into sports, forcing the Philippines to skip the Jones Cup last June in Taipei.