Gilas Pilipinas authored a gritty 82‑81 win over Jordan on Friday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena to open their second round of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers with a much‑needed victory.
It wasn’t easy, however, as the nationals had to overcome yet another slow start and some atrocious outside shooting.
Jordan Starts Off Like a House on Fire
Jordan started blazing hot and built a sizable lead early, just like the last time they played the Philippines in a World Cup qualifying game. This time, superb shooting pushed the Jordanians to a 28‑14 lead after one, with the margin swelling to as high as 18 at one point.
Point guard Freddy Ibrahim and naturalized reinforcement Jalen Harris typified that early sniping, accounting for 4 of Jordan’s six triples in the first quarter alone. Overall, the Jordanians went 6‑for‑9 from the arc in the opening frame as they took the fight right to Gilas Pilipinas.
Gilas Pilipinas Shows Fight
The Philippines turned to defense starting in the second quarter, with AJ Edu and Scottie Thompson spearheading the effort on that end of the floor. Juan Gomez de Liaño, meanwhile, provided an offensive spark off the bench, repeatedly finding the open man as Gilas Pilipinas sped the game up and got into transition.
With defense turning into offense, the Philippines slowly inched closer, only for Jordan to fend them off with timely hits by Ibrahim and Harris, who fired 15 and 14, respectively, in the first half. The nationals, though, gained some much‑needed momentum heading into halftime after Carl Tamayo ended the first half with a booming pull‑up trey from the top of the key to make it 44‑39.
Gilas Pilipinas Takes the Lead, Jordan Responds
Gilas Pilipinas continued their strong play in the third quarter, with Thompson putting the clamps on Harris and Dwight Ramos finally getting Ibrahim under control. The Philippines grabbed the lead at 47‑46 early in the third and extended it to 51‑46 at one point as defense again fueled offense.
Jordan, however, answered right back. With Ibrahim and Harris shackled, the Jordanians turned to Abdullah Olajuwon, who repeatedly punctured the Gilas Pilipinas defense to restore the lead. Olajuwon’s late‑quarter outburst gave his team a 58‑54 advantage heading into the final frame.
A Heartstopping Ending
Jordan opened the fourth quarter with a couple of baskets to push ahead, 62‑54, and looked poised to run away with the road win. But the Philippines fought back again, this time led by the backcourt of Thompson, who continued to shackle Harris, and Perez, who fired 10 points in the quarter—including the game‑tying basket that sent the contest to overtime.
In extra time, Jordan again looked ready to assert its will after scoring the first four points. But the nationals rallied once more, largely thanks to Perez’s exploits—a couple of baskets and an assist to Kevin Quiambao, who drilled a triple that made it 82‑79 with 13 ticks left.
That set up a wild ending that saw Ibrahim drill two free throws off a Perez foul and Thompson incur a five‑second violation in Gilas Pilipinas’ next possession, giving Jordan one final crack to steal the win. Ibrahim scurried past halfcourt, got to the elbow, and issued a pass to Olajuwon in the corner. The young guard faked a lunging AJ Edu and tried to take it to the basket, only to be met at the rim by Kai Sotto for the game‑winning rejection.
Total Team Effort
Gilas Pilipinas pulled out the gritty win thanks to contributions from almost everyone. Sotto led the attack with 18 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks, while Perez tallied 16 points, 5 rebounds, and the game’s most important dime. Quiambao and Ramos added 14 points and 5 rebounds apiece, Edu had 9 points and 11 rebounds, and Tamayo chipped in 8 before rolling his ankle in the third. Thompson, meanwhile, finished with just a solitary point but hauled down 6 boards, issued 3 assists, and played tremendous defense on Harris.
Ibrahim led Jordan with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Olajuwon notched 17. Harris, the leading scorer of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, still finished with 19 points but was hounded into 6‑for‑22 shooting.
