For three quarters, Gilas Pilipinas looked nothing like the world beaters they have been, trailing by as much as 11 against Qatar in the opening of the 2nd Doha Invitational Cup.
But they turned things around come the fourth quarter and ultimately rallied past the Qataris to eke out a hard-fought 74-71 victory at Qatar University early Saturday.
Lead the way again was—who else?—Justin Brownlee, who scored 9 of his 10 points in the fourth as he teamed up with Dwight Ramos and AJ Edu for Gilas’ furious fourth quarter fight back. Brownlee also gave Gilas the lead for good, 70-69, with a one-handed jam.
Ramos finished with a team-high 15 points, including a bucket that gave the Nationals a 72-69 lead with under two minutes remaining. June Mar Fajardo added 12 markers and 7 boards, while Scottie Thompson chipped in 11 points along with the two freebies that sealed the final tally.
Tyler Harris and Mike Lewis II fired 17 and 15, respectively, for Qatar.
AJ Edu Looks Good in Gilas Pilipinas Comeback
The 6-foot-10 Edu, who last donned the Gilas jersey in the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila, looked good in his debut for this new Gilas iteration helmed by Tim Cone and backed by San Miguel Corporation.
While managing just 6 points, Edu did lead Gilas with 10 boards and seemed comfortable playing in Cone’s system. The Japan B.League veteran was also part of the five that help the national team stage that mighty rally in the fourth, with his emphatic two-handed slam bringing Gilas to within 66-65 to the delight of the pro-Philippines crowd. He also dished off a beautiful dime to a cutting Brownlee for his go-ahead jam.
Lots of Work Ahead for Gilas Pilipinas
Even with the win, Gilas Pilipinas will need to sharpen their game a lot more if they wish to rule the 2nd Doha Invitational Cup. The Nationals looked lethargic for long stretches, with Brownlee seemingly in auto-pilot in the first three quarters.
That simply won’t cut it the next time Gilas takes the floor later today as they take on Asian rival and continental powerhouse Lebanon barely 24 hours after rallying past Qatar. With the short break, Cone might have to rely on his bench more to carry the fight against the Cedars, who lost their opening game to Egypt, 82-70, but held out stars Wael Arakji and naturalized player Omari Spellman.
Game time between Gilas Pilipinas and Lebanon is at 11:00 p.m.
The scores:
Philippines (74) – Ramos 15, Fajardo 12, Brownlee 10, Thompson 10, Quiambao 7, Edu 6, Perez 6, Oftana 3, Tamayo 3, Newsome 2
Qatar (71) – Harris 17, Lewis 15, Ndao 9, Fouda 9, Seydou 9, Abbsher 7, Saad 3, Magassa 2, Dieng 0, Grantham 0, Avdic 0
