The hopes and dreams of the Smart-Gilas Pilipinas for a slot in the 2012 London Olympics went down the drain as they were defeated by a determined Jordan squad, 75-61, in the semifinals of the FIBA Asia Championship yesterday in Wuhan, China.
The Gilas could not contain the triumvirate of naturalized player Rasheim Wright, star guard Sam Daghles and long-range shooting big man Zaid Abbas, who all contributed in dealing the Gilas the heartbreaking loss.
Wright, who struggled in the the Philippines’ win over Jordan earlier in the tournament, scored 24 points, Daghles added 16 points and 4 assists while Abbas had 14 points and four rebounds.
Marcus Douthit and Jayvee Casio carried the fight for the Gilas with 21 and 16 points, respectively.
The Nationals actually started the game on a right note as they led, 18-10, in the first period.
However, Wright took that cue as he donned the alpha wolf role in the absence of Daghles in the first half due to the three fouls he incurred. Wright terrorized the Gilas defense with no remorse as his jumper at the end of the second canto gave Jordan a 49-41 lead at the turn.
Smart-Gilas showed some life in the early part of the fourth quarter, slicing the deficit down to one point, 48-49. Still buoyed by their big victory over Iran the previous day, Jordan showed nerves of steel at the height of the Filipinos’ rally, shutting the door on the Gilas’ aspirations of reaching the finals.
The Philippine team will play for the bronze on Sunday against the loser of the other semifinal pairing between China and South Korea, which was still being played as of press time.
At stake for the champion of this tournament is a slot to the 2012 London Olympics.