2013 FIBA Asia Championship: Third quarter storm lifts Gilas past Japan

(Updated 10:17pm) Gilas Pilipinas had another dominant third-quarter showing, but this time, they held on to their big lead in the fourth quarter, starting their second round of FIBA Asia Championship games with a huge win over Japan, 90-71, Monday at the MOA Arena.

The Philippines improved to 2-1 in Group E and dropped Japan to 1-2, as wins against eliminated teams, namely Group A's Saudi Arabia for the locals, are not factored into the second round tally.

Like in their previous game versus Chinese Taipei, the host team turned it on in the third period, outscoring Japan 29-15 in the frame, backboned by Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood and Marcus Douthit.

A 75-51 advantage at the start of the fourth was enough for Gilas to shift into cruise control, despite a last 12-4 push by the visiting team.

Douthit top-scored for the Philippines with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Chan notched 16 points, making 4-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc, while LA Tenorio and Ranidel De Ocampo chipped in nine markers each off the bench.

"I'm a firm believer in life that you have to get up after you stumbled. We said during our team meeting to forget the last game, and to play a complete game," said Gilas head coach Chot Reyes. "I think this is the first game that we kept the lead all throughout, so it's a sign that we're getting better."

Reyes also credited the team's good defensive start, saying that it allowed his team to get into their flow. "It allowed us to get stops, and our entire game is predicated on our ability to run after stops," he said.

It was also an emotional victory for the team, as gunner Gary David finally made his first three-pointer of the tournament, a corner attempt in the game's dying seconds that was the cherry on top of the win. "Malaking bagay rin yung nangyari kanina na naka-shoot siya, so madadala niya 'to sa susunod na laro," said Ranidel De Ocampo.

"Lahat naman kami kinakausap siya [David]. Bilang mas matanda siya sa iba, yung ibang player hindi siya masabihan... so ako ang kumakausap sa kanya. Sinasabi ko sa kanya na isipin mo nalang yung pamilya niya," the reigning Philippine Cup Finals MVP added.

Reyes praised David for being a great team player, and hoped that things would get better for him. "I felt that if I talked to him about [his slump], the more pressure he'll get. But it was Gary David who volunteered to get off the bench, saying there are others playing better than [him] and they deserve a chance to start."

The win came on the heels of a fourth-quarter collapse against Chinese Taipei on Saturday night. But De Ocampo said that they had no time to dwell on the missed opportunity. "We really wanted to bounce back. For me there's no time to get tired. You really have to stay focused for the upcoming games," said the veteran power forward.

Gilas battled loose ball fouls early in the first, reaching the limit within the first two minutes of the game. Despite this, they denied Japan any field goals during the initial five minutes, while taking a 9-2 lead on a Marcus Douthit and-one.

Kosuke Kanamaru drained a right corner jumper halfway though the quarter, giving Japan their first basket of the game. Kosuke Takeuchi added a couple more hits shortly, making it 9-8, and forcing Gilas to call a timeout.

Gilas scraped by for the rest of the quarter, finding ways to match Japan's makes from outside. A triple by Naoto Tsuji with around a minute left cut the hosts' lead to one, but Gilas recovered as LA Tenorio was fouled from beyond the arc at the last second. He made the first two and missed the last, enough for a 17-14 advantage at the end of the first period.

Japeth Aguilar anchored Gilas' offense in the second quarter, scoring two dunks to complement a Ranidel De Ocampo trey, 25-19. But as the period went on, Japan muscled their way inside. JR Sakuragi drew fouls and went to the line, scoring 10 of Japan's last 12 points. Gilas' three-point shooting kept them ahead though, with three of their last four baskets coming from beyond the arc to keep a 46-36 halftime lead.

Gilas shot better from the field after two quarters, making 14-of-33 (42 percent) against Japan's 11-of-29 (38 percent) clip. They were also up 10-0 in turnover points, off a 3-8 turnover advantage.

When play resumed, Jeff Chan knocked down back-to-back triples to kickstart a 15-4 Gilas romp. Norwood attacked the rim and Douthit struck from midrange to create a commanding 63-40 lead midway through the quarter.

Sakuragi nailed a three-pointer to break eight unanswered points by Gilas, but the Philippines maintained their lead throughout the quarter. Gilas absorbed chance layups by Takeuchi, as Tenorio and Chan delivered from beyond the arc, punctuated by another two-handed slam by Aguilar, to lead, 75-51, heading into the final frame.

Led by Takeuchi, Japan managed to whittle down the lead in the fourth, 79-63, using a 12-4 run with four minutes remaining. But a Jimmy Alapag trey cut it short, to start a last 12-4 rally, highlighted by Gary David's first three-pointer of the tournament, coming from the right corner, to bag this victory.

Japan's head coach Kimikazu Suzuki rued that his team was only down by 10 at the half and couldn't catch up afterwards. "We're sad that we couldn't play our basketball. They kept their style and we couldn't stop their style," he said.

Gilas converted 30-of-61 (49 percent) from the field, highlighted by going 12-of-20 (60 percent) from beyond the arc. In contrast, Japan were 26-of-70 (37 percent) from the floor, counting 6-of-18 from three-point distance.

The Philippines led 24-11 in assists, but lost the rebounding battle, 42-29. Gilas though had a ton of steals, 11-2, for a 22-4 spread in turnover points.

JR Sakuragi carried Japan with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Kosuke Takeuchi added 17 points and nine rebounds. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Philippines 90 - Douthit 19, Chan 16, Tenorio 9, De Ocampo 9, Castro 7, Norwood 7, Aguilar 7, Alapag 6, David 5, Fonacier 3, Pingris 2, Fajardo 0

Japan 71 - Sakuragi 19, Takeuchi 17, Hiejima 9, Tsuji 8, Matsui 6, Kanamaru 4, Kurihara 2, Sakurai 2, Ota 2, Watanbe 2, Ichioka 0, Tanaka 0

Quarter scoring: 17-14, 46-36, 75-51, 90-71