The Gilas Pilipinas national squad outscored Lebanon 21-12 in the pivotal third quarter to grab its first win at the FIBA Asia Cup in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, 78-68.
Marcus Douthit carried the team with 25 points and 21 rebounds, while Gary David and LA Tenorio chipped in 11 apiece for the Philippines.
Gilas jumped to an early 4-0 advantage, but the Lebanese took it strong for opportunities at the stripe, as an E. El Khatib shot finally had Lebanon up one, 7-6. The Philippines continued to play catch-up however, as Marcus Dauthit and LA Tenorio fought tie the game at 16-all.
A three by Fonacier at the 1:31 mark gave the Philippines the lead yet again, 19-16, before James Thompson ended the period with two of his own to put Lebanon ahead, 20-19.
Douthit and Gary David tried to sustain an early lead for the Philippines in the second quarter, 25-22, before Thompson and El Khatib teamed up to draw even at 28-all, 6:10 left in the period. After a three-pointer by Sarkis, 33-28, Gilas head coach Chot Reyes called a timeout that led to back-to-back hits by Gabe Norwood, getting the Philippines within a point, 33-32.
A C. El Khatib three stopped the Filipino run at the 3:07 mark, 36-32, as Lebanon continued to hold the Philippines at bay till the halftime buzzer sounded, 41-38.
After Douthit followed up a Ranidel De Ocampo miss, David hit a shot to give the Philippines the lead once again, 42-41. After E. El Khatib gave Lebanon a slim lead, 45-44, Gabe Norwood hit one of his own, followed by a Douthit slam as the Philippines went ahead, 48-45, with 6:30 remaining.
With Lebanon constantly threatening, Douthit and Norwood hit again, while Akl converted on two free throws as the Philippines stayed ahead, 53-52, with 2:04 to go in the third. Gilas would end the quarter strong though, as Tenorio and Douthit closed the quarter with a 6-2 run for a 59-53 advantage heading into the final period.
In the fourth, Marcus Douthit stayed active, hitting shots in the paint along with free throws to give the Philippines a nine-point advantage, 70-61, with 3:29 remaining in the game. A pair of Abd El Nour freethrows cut the lead down to four, 70-66, with 2:17 remaining, but it only took David 12 seconds to counter at the other end to keep the Philippine lead safe, 72-66, at the 2:05 mark.
E. El Khatib hit another at the 1:09 mark to make it a four point game, but David came rising to the occasion yet again, scoring with 24 ticks remaining for a six-point advantage, 74-68. Two freethrows by Tenorio with 14 seconds to go, followed by a DIllinger conversion with three seconds remaining, sealed the win for the Philippines, 78-68.
The Philippines next faces Macau, Sunday at one in the afternoon. - AMD, GMA News
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