Smart Gilas nips Jordan, starts quarterfinal bid today

Games today:

2 p.m. – Lebanon vs. Iraq
4 p.m. – Iran vs. Saudi
6 p.m. –Smart Gilas vs. Syria
8 p.m. – Qatar vs. Jordan

THE SMART Gilas Pilipinas will be heading towards their quarterfinal matchup today against Syria with a lot of momentum.

This, after they came up with their best game of the tournament so far as they defeated the tough Jordan, 76-74, in the 22nd FIBA Asia Champios Cup late Wednesday night at the Philsports Arena.

Cebuano hotshot Dondon Hontiveros scored 23 points, spiked by six three-point shots while naturalized player Marcus Douthit added 14. The Nationals also got impressive contributions from across the board, especially from JV Casio and reinforcement Asi Taulava.

Casio, who also had seven assists, delivered in the clutch, hitting two key baskets and hitting two freethrows in the closing minutes, while Taulava, turning back the pages in summoning back his dominant past, gave Douthit all the rest he needed in playing 18 minutes and grabbing 12 rebounds.

As the No. 1 team in Group A, Smart Gilas takes on Syria, the No. 4 team in Group B, at 6 p.m. on today, with the winner of the knockout quarters moving to the crossover semifinals on Saturday. Other quarterfinal pairings pit Lebanon with Iraq at 2 p.m., defending champion Iran with Saudi Arabia at 4 p.m., and Qatar with Jordan at 8 p.m.

Mark Bacarael, defending furiously against Jordan’s hot-tempered forward Zaid Abbas, also delivered offensively, draining a 3-pointer that sparked a Gilas comeback from five points down in the final period. Correspondent Jonas Panerio