Gilas rips FIBA world c'ship-bound Jordan

Smart Gilas Pilipinas coach Rajko Toroman and Jordan counterpart Mario Palma both promised that their rematch would be a lot different than their initial encounter. And the two highly-touted international coaches didn't fail to disappoint but this time it was the Filipino cagers who outsmarted the FIBA World Championship-bound Jordanian national team. A strong first half and crucial plays down the stretch, the Philippine developmental team gave their local fans something to cheer about hacking out a gritty 91-80 victory to rule the 2010 Smart Philippine Invitational Challenge on Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Gilas led for most of the contest but had to keep their composure from Jordan’s several comeback bids to remain on top. Even with 6-foot-10 naturalized prospect Marcus Douthit fouling out it was the locals who stepped up big to claim the title of this four-day tournament.

The win avenged Gilas’ 83-75 loss to Jordan two days ago that saw them play poorly in the second half and even trailed by 21 points in the final period. For Toroman, the first test has been passed but bigger challenges remain on the horizon as they compete in next month’s William Jones Cup in Taiwan against the likes of FIBA Asia champion Iran, Syria and Japan. "It will be a big test for us (the Jones Cup)," Toroman said. "We passed the first test, (the) second test we will see." Mac Baracael, who has been getting more playing time at the power forward position, came through with a fiery offensive outburst to lead the way for the Gilas squad with 22 points and six rebounds. He made his first four triples, three of which came in the first two quarters. JV Casio, Chris Tiu and Greg Slaughter then made the big plays in the second half to the delight of the pro-Filipino crowd that egged the team all throughout. Casio erased a 77-all deadlock by hitting three free throws off Sam Daghles' foul with 2:07 remaining. Then Slaughter, who replaced Douthit after fouling out with 2:50 remaining and finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, made perhaps the biggest play of the game. Jordan's Rasheim Wright drove for a layup but Slaughter blocked the shot and Tiu ran the ball and fed Casio for a layup for an 82-77 lead with 1:45 left. Slaughter later scored on another Tiu assist then Casio hit a runner off Daghles' outstretch arms for an 86-77 spread with 40.7 ticks remaining. "We prepared something different," Toroman said. "In the first game we have some problems against their zone and we made some adjustments and that decided the game."
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV "But we were a smart team, we were aggressive, we tried to do the maximum effort and set the tempo," he added. Casio finished with 15 points while Tiu added six points, three rebounds and seven assists. Slaughter played for just five minutes and scored six points but impressed Toroman with his big-time contributions down the stretch. "Greg in the last two minutes I think he decided the game," said Toroman. "And he proved to me that he can get more minutes." Marcio Lassiter delivered 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists while fellow Filipino-American Chris Lutz, adjudged as the tournament’s best player, hit seven of his nine in the fourth quarter. Smart Gilas' outside shooting played a huge role in the game with Baracael draining four three-pointers to help the Filipinos take a 45-36 halftime lead. But the stubborn Jordan squad relied on Zaid Abbas, Daghles and the bulky Islam Abbaas to put the Palma-coached squad back in the game. Abbaas scored with 24 seconds left in the third for a 63-61 lead. It was their last taste of the lead as Lutz and Baracael put Gilas back in the driver’s set, 77-70, with 4:35 left. Jordan managed to tie the contest at 77-all but the hosts won’t be denied of the win. Abbas finished with 25 points and seven rebounds while Daghles shot 7-of-10 for 19 points in perhaps his best game of the tournament. Abbaas added 17. Jordan played minus Wesam Al-Sous because of an injury and Mousa Alawadi playing sparingly because of flu. The two were responsible in their elimination round win against the Philippines. "The Philippine team played very good game. One thing they did well is shooting," said Palma. "I think we'll be a much better team by the time the World Championships start." – JVP, GMANews.TV