Gilas ends China stint with a bang, pulls away vs Iran

MANILA, Philippines -- Gilas Pilipinas pulled out all the stops and delivered when it mattered most as they ended their China pocket tournament campaign with a statement 63-48 win over Iran Monday night.

With the game still hanging in the balance with about four minutes in the game, the Nationals ended the game with a massive 14-1 run as their offense erupted and their defense tightened in the final four minutes.

With Gilas leading by just two, 49-47, Jamie Malonzo hit a layup off a hop-step to spark a crucial run for the Filipinos.

Kiefer Ravena then hit a 3-pointer and Ray Parks hit a long corner two to give the Philippines an insurmountable 56-47 lead with 2:40 left in the match.

Dwight Ramos then hit a dagger 3-pointer from the wing to push the Gilas lead to 12, 59-47.

He also dropped in a floater with less than a minute remaining as icing on the cake.

Gilas thus concluded the pocket tournament with a 3-1 win-loss record, its lone loss coming against Senegal last Friday.

The Filipino cagers will be returning home later this week, with Jordan Clarkson expected to join their practices.

The team will have tune-up games in Manila a few days before the FIBA World Cup kicks off.