Banged-up Gilas bows to China, heads to worst Asiad finish

INCHEON, South Korea -- A banged-up Gilas Pilipinas ran out of gas and lost to a rebuilding China, 78-71, Monday in the consolation round on Monday at the Hwaseong Gym.

Playing without injured captain Jimmy Alapag (calf) and Marc Pingis (ankle), Gilas just could not muster the same effort they did in the past especially after big blow after blow that they have suffered in this 17th Asian Games.

China pounced on listless Gilas at the start of the second quarter transforming a mere four-point lead, 21-17, to a dozen with a 10-2 run.

Marcus Douthit almost single-handedly carried the fight in the first half with 16 points as no other Gilas player hit four or more.

China shot eight triples to Gilas' three and the former Asian powerhouse also made a living at the free throw line sinking 20 of 30 to Gilas' 14 of 18.

Gilas though fell down not without a fight.

After Zhao Tailong's mid-range jumper gave China its biggest lead, 60-41, Gilas answered with a 19-5 run bridging the third and fourth quarters to close the gap, 65-59.

China swung back with five straight points to restore a double-digit lead, 70-59. But Gilas put up one last fight as they came within four, 70-66, on LA Tenorio's triple with four minutes left.

China's young point guard Xiaoyu Liu and reed-thin tower Zhou Qi sealed the deal down the stretch.

Liu made five straight points including a dagger trey that put the lead back to 10 while Zhou escaped past Douthit's defense for a dunk giving China enough cushion in the end.

The loss assured the country its worst finish in the Asian Games basketball history, worse than Smart Gilas I's sixth place finish in the 2010 Asian Games.

They will play Mongolia, who lost to Qatar, 87-78, in the battle for 7th spot in a non-televised game on Wednesday in the same venue.

Five Chinese hit double figures led by Liu's 16 points while Gilas only had two with Douthit's 24 and Ranidel de Ocampo's 14.

The Gilas-China game will be aired on TV5 Monday night at 9 p.m.