Kevin Quiambao saved the Philippines from a stunning upset at the hands of Vietnam Friday afternoon, hitting the big shots to stave off Vietnam, 21-18 (8.6) at the King Henry VIII Gymnasium in Cyberjaya, Malaysia.
Knotted at 17-all, the 6-foot-6 Quiambao scored on the inside to halt a huge 6-1 rally by Vietnam.
Though Ji Soo Kim was able to get back the point, Gerry Abadiano scored on a drive while Quiambao followed it up with a putback off of a Terrence Fortea miss to send the Philippines to match-point with 21 seconds left.
Abadiano sealed Gilas’ first win in Pool C of the 2019 FIBA 3X3 Under-18 Asia Cup with a free throw with 8.6 ticks to spare.
Quiambao had six points while Abadiano added five markers.
Carl Tamayo did not play in the game.
Terrence Fortea set the tone early for the Philippines, scoring 10 points built on two deuces that helped give Gilas a 16-11 lead with under two minutes remaining.
Antony Sundberg rallied Vietnam back, tying the game at 17-all with 1:10 left.
Sundberg had 11 points to pace Vietnam.
Gilas looks to sweep pool play when it faces Turkmenistan at 5:00 pm.
The Scores:
Philippines 21 –– Fortea 10, Quiambao 6, Abadiano 5.
Vietnam 18 — Sundberg 11, Kim 4, Thien 3, Long 0.
