2013 FIBA Asia Championship: Gilas escapes Hong Kong, prepares for clash with Kazakhstan in quarters

(Updated 10:20pm) The Philippine national basketball team bucked a determined Hong Kong squad on Wednesday, 67-55, to barge into the quarterfinals of the 2013 FIBA Championship held at the Mall of Asia Arena.

After playing below expectations for 37 minutes, Gilas stepped on the gas when it mattered most. The national team leaned on defensive stops to create a late 7-0 run with two and a half minutes to play, 65-54, to gain separation from a scrappy Hong Kong squad that looked every bit determined to end their second round with a bang.

Marcus Douthit posted 13 points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes, despite injuring his right leg yesterday versus Qatar. Jeff Chan added 12 points, nine coming from beyond the arc. Gabe Norwood and Jayson Castro offered 11 points each, with the former securing 10 rebounds and the latter, six rebounds and five assists.

"Hats off to Hong Kong. They really out-hustled us for three and a half quarters, but in the end we were able to make a run and pull out a win," said Norwood.

Norwood said that Gilas couldn't make excuses for their poor play, even if they had essentially clinched the top seed in Group E owing to Qatar's win over Chinese Taipei earlier today.

"We had to come out and be professional, and execute the best that we can. I'd hate to use that as an excuse," he said.

"Hong Kong played a great game, but we found a way to grind out this victory. But I told the players, you've been around long enough to know there's no such thing as an easy win," added coach Chot Reyes.

Reyes said that Douthit's sore leg affected his quickness and explosiveness to the ball, thus softening their interior. "We didn't want to play Marcus many minutes, and a lot of players weren't ready, so I had to do what I had to do tonight.

"With injuries like that, the problem is soreness. We wanted to play them and make them sweat, but the plan was [just] to make them sweat. But the way the game unfolded made us play otherwise," Reyes added.

After taking a day off from competition, Gilas plays Kazakhstan in the knockout quarterfinals on Friday.

Within the first five minutes of the game, Gilas had given up a handful offensive rebounds that translated into seven second-chance points for Duncan Reid and Li Kim Wong, as they trailed 11-5. When subbing out four of five starters didn't work, head coach Chot Reyes called timeout to talk things over.

After the quick break, Gilas didn't get anything together, missing easy shots and allowing Hong Kong into the lane. Li and Wong Shin Wai connected from deep for Hong Kong, to lead 19-10, before Jeff Chan mercifully sank a three to end the quarter, 19-13.

Things didn't improve for the national team in the second period, as missed layups and tight defense from Hong Kong kept them down, 19-17. Midway through, Chan Siu Wing exploded with a nifty weak-side cut, followed by two triples, to impose a double-digit lead, 27-17.

With under three minutes to play, Gilas started to get things together. Despite remaining iffy on the defensive boards, Marcus Douthit and Marc Pingris scored inside to complement a Gabe Norwood triple, before Jayson Castro added two charities with two ticks left. That allowed Gilas to trail by just 33-28 entering halftime.

Hong Kong made 14-of-39 (36 percent) of their field goals through the first half, while Gilas shot 8-of-27 (30 percent). They outscored Gilas in the paint, 18-8.

The home team went 9-of-12 (75 percent) from the charity stripe, while Hong Kong made their only free throw through two quarters.


Chan rescued Gilas at the start of the third quarter, scoring six straight to give them their first lead, 36-34, on a three-point play. They weren't out of the woods yet, though, as Chan Yik Lun retook the lead with a triple on their next play.

Gilas had their moments, but still lacked coherent offense in the last four minutes. Luckily, Larry Fonacier nailed a put-back at the buzzer to take a 46-43 lead heading into the fourth.

Jayson Castro opened the fourth quarter with a triple, but Hong Kong chased Gilas for a good part of the final period. Wong and Chan Siu Wing answered layups by Douthit, as Hong Kong trailed 58-54 on a Chan Siu Wing trey.

Norwood kept Gilas safe, draining a turnaround jumper, before swiping the ball for a twisting and-one in transition. Another Hong Kong turnover then turned into a breakaway layup for Castro, 65-54. The lead was too much for Hong Kong to overcome, as Reid split from the line with under a minute left, and a last layup by Pingris set the final score.

"I think we performed very well as a team. Our scouting and preparation really paid off. We got really lucky we got up and down the floor well, and we're proud to have played well against such a good team," said Reid after the game.

Reid added that doubling down low against Douthit made it easier to keep the game close, while benefiting as well from a stroke of luck. "They struggled to find their outside shot, and it's one of the reasons we had such a close game," he reiterated.

Gilas finished the game shooting 23-of-60 (38 percent), against Hong Kong's 21-of-75 (28 percent) clip. Gilas was out-rebounded though, 45-26, including 14-8 offensive.

The Philippines recovered in points in the paint, 26-22, but trailed in turnover points, 25-8.

Chan Siu Wing led Hong Kong with 16 points, while Duncan Reid notched 12 points and 19 rebounds, including 12 offensive. - RAF, GMA News


The scores:

Philippines 67 - Douthit 13, Chan 12, Castro 11, Norwood 11, Tenorio 9, Pingris 6, Fonacier 2, De Ocampo 2, David 0, Fajardo 0, Aguilar 0

Hong Kong 55 - S. Chan 16, Reid 12, Wong 6, Li 6, Lam 6, Fong 4, Tung Leung Lau 3, Y. Chan 2, Tsz Lai Lau 0, Lee 0

Quarter scoring: 13-19, 28-33, 46-43, 67-55