BOCAUE — Gilas Pilipinas’ massive comeback bid did not find a finish, falling to Jordan, 90-91, to close out the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Monday at the Philippine Arena here.
Gilas were down by as much as 25 points before storming back, eventually cutting the lead down to a solitary point.
Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Justin Brownlee, and Dwight Ramos missed their looks from deep before Scottie Thompson muffed two free throws that would have put Gilas up. Still, the hosts had one last chance to steal the game from the Falcons.
Parks made one last attempt for the winner but it fell short as time expired.
“Credit to our guys for not giving up. We still clawed back and gave ourselves a chance to win the ballgame. This is another test,” said Gilas head coach Chot Reyes.
“Friday is done, it’s over, this was another test and tonight we got tested. Despite the result, still pleased with the way we played, particularly in the second half,” he added.
Brownlee finished the game with 41 points – tying the 2023 Asian Qualifiers record set by Mohammad Jamshidi a year ago during Iran’s 80-68 win over Syria. The three-time PBA Best Import also had 12 rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes of play.
Gilas, who drained 17 triples in their 107-96 win over Lebanon last Friday, were given a dose of their own medicine in the first half by Jordan.
After the opening basket by CJ Perez, Jordan went berserk from deep with Freddy Ibrahim, Sami Bzai, and Mohammad Hussein raining triples left and right in an 18-3 spurt.
The Jordanian blitz did not stop in the second frame as the visitors drained a total of 12 triples in the first half. The Jordan lead went to as high as 25 points, 41-16, early in the second stanza.
“It was a nightmare start for us. Credit to Jordan, they came out sharp and had a good game plan. You saw that with the score in the first half,” lauded Reyes.
Brownlee strapped Gilas on his back in the third quarter, scoring 17 points in that canto alone that set up the thrilling finish.
“This game was two parts. The first part, we played really good. We shot the ball so well. We came ready for the game. We knew it was important because the Philippines beat us at home, and we were determined to get that win back,” said Jordan head coach Wesam Al-Sous.
Dar Tucker was the lead man for Jordan with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Ibrahim got 19 points and eight assists while Zaid Abbas chipped in 10 points before fouling out late in the game due to a technical foul.
Besides Brownlee, Jamie Malonzo was the other double-digit scorer for Gilas with 11 points. Thompson wound up with nine points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
Jordan Heading was limited to just nine points on eight attempts while Dwight Ramos was held down to just seven points and six rebounds. Parks also shot just 2-of-7 from the field for eight points.
Both teams are headed to the World Cup this August.
The Scores
Jordan 91 – Tucker 22, Ibrahim 19, Z. Abbass 10, Bzai 9, Hawwas 8, Alhamarsheh 8, Alhendi 6, Hussein 5, H. Abbass 2, Alnajdawi 2.
Philippines 90 – Brownlee 41, Malonzo 11, Thompson 9, Heading 9, Parks 8, Ramos 7, Perez 4, Fajardo 1, Amos 0, K. Ravena 0.
Quarterscores: 33-14, 60-41, 70-64, 91-90.
