Gilas Pilipinas stumbled anew at the conclusion of the 2nd Doha International Cup, falling to Egypt, 86-55, at the Qatar University Sports and Events Complex.
The Filipinos finished the first quarter with a slim 19-18 lead, but the Pharaohs turned things around with a 21-9 second quarter to grab a 40-27 lead heading into intermission.
It was all downhill for Gilas from that point as the hot-shooting Egyptians piled on the points. Egypt finished with 11 triples—including four from Ehab Amin Saleh, who finished with game-high 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists off the bench. Amr Zahran added 12 points, while Youssef Aboushousha and Omar Oraby chipped in 11 and 10, respectively.
Justin Brownlee was the lone bright spot for Gilas with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist. Carl Tamayo added 9, while Scottie Thompson, AJ Edu, and Dwight Ramos had 6 apiece.
Gilas Finish Third at 2nd Doha International Cup, Sets Sights on Chinese Taipei, New Zealand
Gilas finished the 2nd Doha International Cup at third with a 1-2 record. Egypt topped the pocket tournament by going undefeated, followed by Lebanon at 2-1. Host Qatar went winless.
Gilas Pilipinas will fly back to the Philippines later on Monday and then catch a flight to Taiwan on Tuesday, February 18. They will then conclude the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers with games against Chinese Taipei (February 20) and New Zealand (February 23).
The Nationals have already qualified for the FIBA Asia Cup by winning their first four games in the first two windows. The tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia in August.
The scores:
Lebanon (75) – Hadidian 18, Khalil 18, Zeinoun 13, Majok 12, Mezher 8, Rtail 4, Makhlouf 2, Khoueiry 0, Samaha 0, Moussa 0.
Philippines (54) – Brownlee 21, Oftana 10, Thompson 7, Edu 6, Ramos 5, Fajardo 2, Newsome 1, Quiambao 1, Perez 1, Tamayo 0, Amos 0, Malonzo 0
