RP 5 beats Japan for 2nd win in FIBA-Asia tilt

Powerade-Team Pilipinas came back from an 11-point first half deficit to turn back Japan, 78-69, for its second straight win in the 25th FIBA-Asia men's basketball championship in Tianjin, China. Now tied with Korea with similar 2-0 wins, the Nationals and Koreans dispute the top spot in Group A when they clash in a highly-anticipated showdown Saturday at the Tianjin gym. The win also atoned for the Nationals' heartbreaking 85-87 loss to the same Japanese crew in the last month’s William Jones Cup tournament in Taipei in a game that saw them squander a 19-point first half lead. Sonny Thoss, who had to start at center in the absence of Japeth Aguilar (strained knee), topscored for 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Asi Taulava came off the bench and added 11 and eight boards to lead the RP squad’s big second half comeback. Pennisi bucked a hurting back and finished with nine points, providing timely baskets when the chips were down for the RP team, which trailed by as many as 16-5 in the first quarter. “Although this is just our second game but I think it’s gonna go a long way towards improving our finish in the last FIBA-Asia," said coach Yeng Guiao after the game. “I can’t claim any credit. It was really the guys who threw their sheer determination and will to win." Playing catch-up early on, the Nationals didn’t really grab the lead until the318 mark of the third quarter on a Willie Miller basket, 50-49. A kamikaze drive by Cyrus Baguio, a Taulava lay up and another basket by Baguio capped a 6-2 spurt by the Philippines for a 56-53 lead entering the final 10 minutes. Powerade-RP then began the period with a 16-4 run, which Taulava started with a lay up and finished it with a one-handed slam at the 5:05 mark for the Nationals’ biggest lead of the game, 72-57. The Japanese, playing minus top gunner Takehiko Orimo (food poisoning), began to press and threatened for the last time at 67-75. But James Yap, playing his first game with the Nationals, secured the win with a three-pointer, 78-69, to cut short another miracle comeback bid by the Japanese. The Nationals trailed 35-41 after two quarters, a deficit that could had been even bigger had Arwind Santos not connected on a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer. Japan outrebounded the RP squad, 25-18, and went 8-of-12 from the foul line as the Nationals only attempted once from the same area, a split by Kerby Raymundo with 8:02 gone by in the first period. The Nationals also committed seven turnovers to Japan’s four. Behind a 9-0 run, the Japanese raced to an early 16-5 lead. But Pennisi, Gabe Norwood and Yap came off the bench and provided the spark from the outside. Pennisi hit a three and so did Norwood to beat the first quarter buzzer and made it 17-22, before Yap began the second period with a trey of his own to trim the gap to within two. Defensive lapses and poor execution by the Nationals however, allowed the Japanese to pull away again, 38-30. Pennisi, ailing back and all, had nine points at the half on 3-of-5 shooting from downtown while grabbing three rebounds. Milled added eight after going 4-of-5 from the floor. In other games, Chinese-Taipei overwhelmed Kuwait, 73-51, to tie its victim at 1-1 in Group B, Qatar turned back India, 90-70, in Group C while powerhouse China (2-0) cruised to a 74-56 victory over Kazakhstan as New Jersey Nets forward Yi Jianlian hit 17 points and had 10 rebounds in another Group C match. – GMANews.TV