Joseph Eriobu made sure that Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 Men would not fall prey to upset-seeking Jordan, carrying the Philippines to a 21-19 (8:38) escape win to open Qualifying Draw C action in the 2022 FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, Thursday in Singapore.
Knotted at 19-all with 1:22 left, the 6-foot-3 stretch forward nailed the game-winning deuce to break the hearts of Jordan.
Eriobu ended up with six points built on two deuces.
Gilas will next face Indonesia at 8:45 PM while Jordan takes on the same team at 4:20 PM. Only one team will advance to the main draw.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair between both sides with the Philippines relying on its outside shooting while Jordan utilized the brute strength of Caden Alnajdawi.
Behind Almond Vosotros, the Philippines went up 18-14 before Ahmad Hassooneh nailed a deuce followed by back-to-back buckets by Alnajdawi tying things up with 2:02 left.
Samboy De Leon nailed a tough fadeaway to give the Philippines a 19-18 lead but Hassooneh knotted things up once more after a floater.
That’s when Eriobu put on his heroics.
Vosotros ended up with 11 points built on five treys while De Leon and Lervin Flores chipped in two points each.
Jordan fielded first-timers in the tournament.
Alnajdawi ended up with 10 points while Hassooneh got seven.
The Scores:
Philippines 21 – Vosotros 11, Eriobu 6, De Leon 2, Flores 2.
Jordan 19 – Alnajdawi 10, Hassooneh 7, Obeid 2, Abuaboud 0.
