MANILA, Philippines - Gilas Pilipinas had hoped for a furious, decisive start to boost its mission for Spain only to agonize three fourths of the way at the hands of Fiba Gulf Zone qualifier Saudi Arabia before pulling it off, 78-66, in Day One full of twists and turns in the FIBA-Asia Championship eliminations at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City last night.
The Nationals went through anxious moments battling the scrappy Saudis, struggling with tentative offensives and miscues early before digging deep and finding the heart to seize the victory before 10,000 fans that cheered them on and somehow feared for them later.
The victory capped a day of surprises and show of force, the biggest shocker was South Korea’s big reversal over China, 63-59; Iran’s ruthless handling of grief-stricken Malaysia, 115-25; Chinese-Taipei’s dismantling of Jordan, 91-87; and Qatar’s ambush of Japan, 75-74.
The Saudis seized the initiative early as the Nationals, who crammed in their buildup for this biggest tournament in Asia, couldn’t find the touch and confidence and visibly under pressure to deliver in the early going of the contest.
The host team and Chinese Taipei seek outright passage into the second round of the preliminaries against Jordan and Saudi Arabia, respectively, today.
“The Saudi team showed in their game that they deserved to be here,†said Gilas coach Chot Reyes, whose wards had 14 turnovers and shot just eight of 26 from beyond the arc.
“We’re glad this game is behind us and the goal is to continue to get better,†added Reyes, admitting having a difficult time hurdling the FIBA Gulf zone qualifier.
The outspoken Filipino mentor stressed though that he’s not alarmed but disappointed.
“We’re off to a good start but we relaxed and committed much turnovers,†rued Reyes while admitting his own shortcomings.
“It’s difficult to coach coming into this ballgame while managing for tomorrow’s game. We made sure to distribute the minutes as we need to be fresh against Jordan. The real battle is tomorrow,†he explained.
LA Tenorio and Larry Fonacier fired 12 points apiece while Marcus Douthit came through with 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Nationals kept on pins and needles by the Saudis up to the last two minutes of the game.
Fonacier fed Gabe Norwood in a fastbreak play then hit a trey as the Filipinos eventually put the game away at 75-62.
Gilas Pilipinas spread production to all 12 players with coach Reyes fielding no one for over 23 minutes.
Douthit, Fonacier and Tenorio delivered the most numbers being the players who played the most number of minutes.
Ranidel de Ocampo and Jason Castro struck right away coming off the bench, igniting a decisive run that carried Gilas to a 35-28 lead at the half.
The Nationals actually threatened to break away early as they scored the game’s first eight points before lapsing into numerous errors, allowing Saudi to pull ahead, 13-10, and take the opening period at 16-14.