2013 FIBA Asia Championship: Gilas stifles Jordan for share of top spot in Group A 

The Philippine national basketball team put up an inspired performance on Friday, playing tough defense to defeat Jordan, 77-71, in Group C play of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Gilas hung close on dead-eye shooting from Jeff Chan and Ranidel De Ocampo, then reeled off 17 unanswered points in a 20-4 run in a third quarter fueled by good defense and offensive rebounding, seizing a 53-42 lead against their taller foes. But Jordan fought back, launching a late 9-3 run in the final three minutes. Then with 35 seconds left on the clock, they had to resort to intentional fouls. Gilas cooly sealed the game though from the line to take their second win of the tournament.

Guard Jayson Castro said that communication was key during Gilas' third quarter explosion. “Sobrang relaxed kami sa umpisa and we were not communicating. Pero nung third quarter lahat nag-uusap na,” he said. “Sinabihan kami ni coach na pag makuha yung bola, just run and run.”

Gilas' top-scorer Jeff Chan acknowledged that playing for the Filipino crowd gave their team a huge lift and commended Norwood for playing good defense on naturalized guard Jimmy Baxter. Head coach Chot Reyes agreed on both points, adding, “As long as we didn't allow Baxter to score 30 we'll be fine.”

Despite the feel-good win, Reyes put the game in proper perspective. “We'll be fooling ourselves if we become happy now. This is not a sprint, it's a long race so the key is to get better. We can only be happy [when the tournament ends] on August 11,” he finished.

The Philippines previously scrapped past Saudi Arabia, 78-66, while Jordan dropped a 91-87 game to Chinese Taipei.

Gilas struggled in the first quarter as they were outmuscled by Jordan in the paint. After taking an initial 4-2 lead on a Ranidel De Ocampo trey, Wessam Al-Sous and Mohammad Hadrab tormented the Philippines with their inside-out play. The pair combined for three triples in an ensuing 16-3 run, capped by a driving layup by Ali Zaghab, 18-7.

With under three minutes to play in the first, Gilas called a timeout to earn a foothold in the match. Twin makes by Marcus Douthit complemented a Jeff Chan trey, paving the way for a 9-2 surge to end the first period, 20-16.

Gilas enjoyed their best shooting stretch so far in the tournament as their first three field goals came from beyond the arc, courtesy of Chan and LA Tenorio, but Jordan maintained their lead thanks to easy buckets, including a breakaway layup by Jimmy Baxter and a Hussein put-back, 28-25.

Hussein continued to overpower the defense, fighting inside to score six of their last 10 points. Similar to the first period, Gilas awoke in the last three minutes to keep the game close. De Ocampo's second trey and crafty playmaking by Jayson Castro gave them a closing 8-2 run, trailing 38-33 after the second period.

Jordan shot 14-of-30 (47 percent) from the field, including 5-of-15 (33 percent) on three-pointers. In comparison, Gilas made 11-of-37 (30 percent) of their attempts, counting 7-of-20 (35 percent) from long-range. Gilas led in points off turnovers, 13-5, while Jordan held a 10-4 margin in points in the paint.


Gilas' momentum carried over to the third quarter, swarming Jordan on the defensive end. On offense, they were buoyed by offensive rebounding and long bombs. Treys by De Ocampo and Chan carried a 10-4 run, until Baxter was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul as Gabe Norwood had a clear path in transition.

Norwood split his freebies, but the bonus possession resulted in a Castro triple. Castro then scored on a breakaway of his own, 49-42, but the run wasn't over as Japeth Aguilar checked in with under three minutes left, adding a pair of midrange jumpers to complete a 20-4 outburst, including 17 unanswered, 53-42.

A loose ball foul led to two charities for Al-Sous, ending a six-minute drought for Jordan. A Baxter make was the only other field goal made by Jordan until time ran out, as both teams traded charities for a 57-47 Gilas lead at the end of the third period.

Gilas widened the gap to 14 points early in the fourth, 61-47, on freebies by Aguilar, but Jordan took advantage of careless passes to spark a 7-0 run, punctuated by Mahmoud Abdeen scoring on a 4-on-2 fast break, 61-54, to force Gilas to call a timeout just three minutes in.

Baxter nailed a triple when play resumed and Jordan was aggressive on the offensive glass, but Gilas countered with timely shots. A Chan trey and a Castro blow-by layup ensured the lead didn't sink below six points, 70-59.

With under three minutes to play. Jordan made a late push as Hadrab dropped five straight points, but Jimmy Alapag nailed a trey from the left corner on the next play, 73-66. Jordan came away with two empty possessions until Baxter drew contact on a breakaway layup. He missed the bonus, but Al-Sous drew another foul off Aguilar. Al-Sous then made two charities, 73-68, with 35 ticks left, capping a 9-3 run.

There wasn't enough time for Jordan to complete a comeback, though, as the visitors resorted to fouling, allowing Gilas to put the finishing touches from the line.

“In the first half we were very concentrated, we were very tactical.We wanted to put Marcus [Douthit] out of the game and we did it. [But] when we had a 10-point lead, we played our opponent's game,” said Alexandris Evangelos, coach of Jordan, adding that they tripped themselves with turnovers and missed free throws in the second half.

Jeff Chan led the Philippines with 17 points off the bench, 15 coming on seven outside shots. Jayson Castro provided 16 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Ranidel De Ocampo and Marcus Douthit scored 11 apiece.

Gabe Norwood finished with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in an all-around performance.

Both teams registered a 39 percent field goal shooting clip, with the Philippines converting 26-of-67 and Jordan tallying 24-of-61. The difference lay in three-point shooting, where Gilas made 12-of-27 (44 percent) against Jordan's 9-of-25 (36 percent).

Gilas led in turnover points, 23-12, off a 13-17 turnover advantage.

Mohammad Hadrab led all scorers with 19 points. Jimmy Baxter added 14 points and six rebounds, while Wessam Al-Sous offered 13 points, including 3-of-8 makes from beyond the arc.

Earlier today, Group A rivals Chinese Taipei trounced Saudi Arabia, 90-67, to tie the Philippines at 2-0. The two teams will play each other tomorrow evening. — RAF/ELR, GMA News


The scores:

Philippines 77 - Chan 17, Castro 16, De Ocampo 11, Douthit 11, Norwood 8, Aguilar 6, Alapag 3, Tenorio 3, David 2, Fonacier 0, Fajardo 0, Pingris 0

Jordan 71 - Hadrab 19, Baxter 14, Al-Sous 13, Hussein 9, Abdeen 6, Alhamarsheh 3, Abu Ruqayah 3, Abuqoura 2, Zaghab 2, Alnajjar 0, Alfaraj 0

Quarter scoring: 16-20, 33-38, 57-47, 77-71