Gilas Pilipinas finishes fourth in Jordan pocket tournament

Gilas Pilipinas fell short in its bid to finish on the podium after it wound up in fourth place in the 10th King Abdullah Cup at the Prince Hamzah Sport Hall in Amman.

The visiting Filipinos bowed to Tunisia, 80-68, during their battle for third place early Monday (Manila time) to formally end their campaign in the six-team field.

Gilas, similar to some of their previous outings, fought back late in the game.

Playing without big man Angelo Kouame, the nationals trailed by as many as 16 points but a jumpshot courtesy of Thirdy Ravena cut the gap as close as three, 69-66, in favor of Tunisia.

But Omar Abada made two charities followed by a basket by Jawher Jawadi as Tunisia once again stretched their lead, 73-66.

Carl Tamayo hit another two-pointer, 74-68, but it was not enough to get Gilas past Tunisia.

Tamayo led Gilas Pilipinas with 14 points and six rebounds while SJ Belangel carved out 12 markers to go with four assists.

Abada, meanwhile, steered Tunisia after churning out  19 points and six assists while Jawadi had game-high 21 points, six rebounds, and two assists.

The tournament was supposed to serve as Gilas' buildup leading to the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup in Indonesia this month. The continental cagefest, however, was officially postponed to next year.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News