RP five crashes out of Champions Cup semis

MANILA, Philippines – Smart Gilas Pilipinas fought gallantly but couldn’t handle the pressure all the way, bowing to Gulf powerhouse Al Arabi of Qatar, 71-76, to kiss their semis hopes goodbye Sunday night in the 20th FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia. With this quarterfinal loss, the team composed of collegiate stars was relegated into the consolation stage against Korea’s Sangmoo in a battle for fifth to eighth places on Tuesday. Al Arabi forged a semis duel with Jordanian league champions Zain. According to the FIBA Asia website, the speedy and spirited Filipinos charged back from a nine-point deficit to take control of the match in the second quarter, unleashing a 23-8 blast for a 35-29 tear at the turn. However, the relatively inexperienced Gilas Pilipinas lost its grip of the upper hand as the taller and more seasoned Qatari squad turned the tables around with a 13-0 spurt sandwiching the third and fourth to move ahead, 59-52, 5:40 left. “I guess we chose the wrong moment to play our worst game in the tournament," RP team coach Toroman Rajkov said in the FIBA Asia report. “We hurried and made a rush without reason when under pressure. I guess that’s what is called inexperience," the Serbian said of his young wards. Import CJ Giles topscored for Gilas Pilipinas with 20 points with locals Mark Barroca and Dylan Ababou providing scoring support. Barroca fired 16 points, including eight in the second canto that gave the Filipinos a six-point cushion at the half, while Ababou chipped in 12. Al Arabi’s Erfan Saeed, Ali Ali and import Joshua Jones did the most damage against the RP cagers, pumping in 13, 12 and 10, respectively, in the deciding second half. Saeed finished with a team-high 20 markers, Jones had 18 and Ali made 17 as Qatar headed to the medal round. “I think we came well together in the second half," said David Ingham, coach of Al Arabi, whose previous best finish in the tournament was at seventh place 25 years ago. “We hung together when it mattered and kept them under 20 points in the two quarters in the second half. That to me was the key to our win," the Australian mentor added. Even after Arabi had seized control, Smart Gilas Pilipinas made a spirited fightback but it simply fumbled when push came to shove, the website reported. “Only experience can teach anybody to handle pressure. That’s the greatest lesson my boys will take from this game," Toroman said. The FIBA Asia Champions Cup is serving as part of the long-term preparations of the all-amateur Gilas Pilipinas quintet in its task to eventually qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. –GMANews.TV