Only USA left standing in the way of Gilas glory

With the Philippines defeating Taiwan (Zhonghua) 76-72 on Saturday, only the Americans remain in the way of Gilas capturing its first Jones Cup title since 1998. Marcus Douthit had 14 points along with 12 rebounds, while Jeff Chan chipped in 14 as the Nationals improved to a 6-1 win-loss card. It was a total team effort for the Philippines, with Ranidel De Ocampo and LA Tenorio adding 11 apiece. The Philippines needs to win its last game against a taller US team to redeem itself from its third place finish last year. The Americans' listed starting five includes two guards Michael Kearse and Jermaine Barnes both listed at 6-5, a small forward in Curtis Marshall listed at 6-6, while power forward Marcus Melvin and Scott VanderMeer measure at 6-8 and 7-0, respectively. In fact, the US team only has one player under 6-4 in 5-10 guard James Justice. Height doesnt automatically translate to might, though, as the Americans have fallen twice, bowing to Iran and Lebanon for a 5-2 record. Gilas' final game will be at 5pm on Sunday.