Gilas Pilipinas wrapped up their campaign in the 2nd Doha International Cup with a tough 86-55 loss to Egypt early Monday morning (Manila time) at the QU Sports & Event Complex.
Despite another strong performance from naturalized star Justin Brownlee, who finished with 18 points, Gilas failed to find consistent offensive support.
No other Filipino player scored in double digits, leading to the national team’s second straight loss.
A promising start quickly unraveled as Egypt unleashed a commanding 21-7 surge in the second quarter, creating a gap that the Filipinos could not overcome.
Egyptian center Omar Tarek Oraby, who stands at 7-foot-2, capped the decisive run with back-to-back three-pointers, propelling his squad to a 39-28 lead at halftime.
Hoping to mount a comeback, the Filipinos relied on Brownlee and Scottie Thompson in the second half, but Egypt remained composed, never allowing Gilas to gain momentum or ignite the passionate pro-Filipino crowd.
The Pharaohs controlled the boards, outrebounding the Philippines 47-32, with center Moustafa Mohammed Elmekawi hauling 10 rebounds. Egypt also dominated the paint with a 36-18 advantage in inside scoring.
Ehab Amin spearheaded Egypt’s offense, drilling four three-pointers en route to a game-high 20 points.
Amr Zahran contributed 12 points, hitting two of his four attempts from beyond the arc, while Oraby added 10 markers, sinking both of his long-range shots.
Their efforts helped the 38th-ranked team in the world sweep the three-day friendly tournament.
Shooting efficiency proved to be another hurdle for Gilas, as Egypt converted 11-of-32 from beyond the arc while capitalizing on turnovers, outscoring the Philippines 17-8 in that category.
Carl Tamayo provided some late-game production, finishing with nine points, though most of them came when the outcome was already decided.
Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, and Thompson each contributed six points.
Gilas secured its lone victory on opening day, narrowly edging host nation Qatar, 74-71.
The Filipinos are set to return to Manila late Monday evening before quickly shifting their focus to the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in Chinese Taipei.
Meanwhile, in an earlier matchup, Lebanon secured a thrilling 72-69 win over Qatar after scoring two clutch baskets in the final 42 seconds.
The victory followed their 75-54 rout of Gilas Pilipinas, allowing Lebanon to finish the tournament with a 2-1 record.
Their only defeat came at the hands of Egypt in the opening game, 82-70.
Qatar, on the other hand, ended their campaign winless, including a close 74-71 loss to the Philippines.
The Scores:
Egypt 86 – Amin 20, Zahran 12, Aboushousha 11, Orabi 10, Taha Mohamed 8, Mahmoud 7, Abelgawad 5, Metwaly 5, Elmekawi 4, Abdellatif 2, Nasr 2, Shehata 0.
Philippines 55 – Brownlee 18, Tamayo 9, Thompson 6, Edu 6, Ramos 6, Fajardo 5, Quiambao 3, Perez 1, Newsome 1, Malonzo 0, Amos 0, Oftana 0.
Quarterscores: 18-19, 39-28, 57-45, 86-55.
