Dwight Ramos battles flu to help Gilas end 11-year FIBA drought vs. Iran

Dwight Ramos braved through an illness to help Gilas Pilipinas finally turn the tables on its longtime tormentor Iran, ending an 11-year wait for a victory in a FIBA tournament over the powerhouse team on Sunday.

Gilas head coach Tim Cone revealed Ramos almost sat out the game due to flu symptoms hours before the match at the Mall of Asia Arena, but the guard battled through it to help the national team eke out a convincing 68-56 win.

READ MORE | Gilas Pilipinas overcomes Iran to sweep FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Window 4

That 12-point victory didn't only allow Gilas to sweep the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Window 4 but also gave the country its first FIBA victory over Iran since 2015 or when the Philippines pulled off an 87-73 win in the FIBA Asia Championship.

Since then, Gilas has lost three times in a row to Iran in a FIBA-sanctioned tournament.

The Philippines, though, beat the same nation in the Asian Games quarterfinals before winning it the gold medal.

"Dwight played a really awesome game, we weren't even sure Dwight was gonna play today," Cone said in the post-game interview.

"He woke up with flu symptoms. We had to give him a drip to get him ready because he was just not feeling well at all. He was throwing up a little bit and so for him to come in and do the job that we did was awesome."

Ramos didn't only show up, he also delivered.

Ramos, who currently plays for the Levanga Hokkaido in Japan B. League, sparked the comeback by scoring nine points in the second quarter, including a triple off his own steal, as Gilas regained a 36-34 halftime lead.

It was also his triple that broke a deadlock in the fourth and gave Gilas a 57-54 lead before he knocked down a jumper that stretched the lead to 61-54. He finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

—JMB, GMA News