Nationals recover from lethargic start, repel Qataris

MANILA, Philippines — Left to fend for themselves, Team Pilipinas struggled for 20 minutes in their FIBA World Cup qualifying game against Qatar.

But all they needed was 15 minutes.

The hosts came out with guns blazing in the second half, as if the historic Araneta Coliseum was not devoid of its world-renowned fans, and carved out a rally to turn back the bigger Qataris, 92-81, and improve their standing in the continental contest on Monday night.

Without the crowd to lean on, the Filipinos banked on each other. Every national cager contributed in the scoring effort which erased what was onc a 17-point rut in the first half.

Four from Team Pilipinas mounted double-digit performances in a closed-door match that the country was serving as part of the FIBA sanctions for the brawl last July 2.

Japeth Aguilar and Stanley Pringle made their presence most felt in the second half where only 220 people are present.

The Nationals returned to the win column after a heartbreaking loss to Iran last Thursday.

The Qataris, on the other hand, aborbed their second loss in the second round. They were blown out by the Aussies, 95-43.

Team Pilipinas will resume its bid in qualifiers when the fifth window resumes in November. They will play Kazakhstan in a game that will be open to the public. The team and the federation, though, will remain under probation.

The Scores:

PHILIPPINES 92 -- Aguilar 16, Cabagnot 16, Pringle 13, Belga 11, Lee 8, Wright 6, Lassiter 5, Sangalang 5, Erram 4, Thompson 3, Taulava 3, Norwood 2.

QATAR 81 -- Mohammed MY 26, Al-Rayes 17, Ngombo 17, Khalid 10, Mohammed MH 4, Abdelbaset 3, Gueye 3, Abdelhaleem 1, Avdic 0, Lashin 0.

Quarters: 15-26, 39-52, 67-64, 92-81.