MANILA – Gilas Pilipinas kept its hopes alive via an 84-46 domination over Qatar in the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifier at the Al-Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall in Doha, Qatar.
Andray Blatche made a triumphant return to the Philippine team with 17 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists on Thursday (Friday in Manila).
Marcio Lassiter chipped in 14 markers on perfect 4-of-4 three-point shooting.
Paul Lee also made his presence felt with 13 points, including three outside hits, while Jayson Castro and Japeth Aguilar also submitted double-figures scoring with 12 and 11, respectively.
The victory was huge for the national men’s basketball team. They increased their standings to 6-5 heading into another crucial match against Kazakhstan on Sunday evening.
Both teams went toe-to-toe early in the opening quarter with the Gilas clinging to a slim 15-11 lead before slowly pulling away in the second period with shots from Aguilar and Blatche for a 41-31 halftime score.
Gilas went on a strong run in the third period with Lee and Blatche hitting two triples each to widen the lead to 20 points.
It grew further to its largest at 38 points with Lassiter and John Paul Erram connecting trifectas.
However, the match did not end without a drama with Gilas head coach Joseller “Yeng” Guiao being ejected in the final 30 seconds after complaining on a non-call on a hit to the face of Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena.
Erfan Ali Saeed finished with 10 points and eight rebounds while Mansour Atif Elhadary and Moustafa Essam A A Fouda chipped in seven and six points, respectively, for the Qataris./PN
