Gilas Pilipinas could not solve the same puzzle that riddled it 24 hours ago. It again lost to Jordan, 84-74, to bid its title hopes goodbye in the 10th King Abdullah Cup, Sunday (Manila time) at the Prince Hamza Sport Hall in Amman.
The youth-laden men’s team wasted an 8-2 start into the match. Meanwhile, the hosts unloaded a 26-7 flurry to end the first 10 minutes with a 28-13 lead. That marked the beginning of a one-sided affair in favor of the latter all the way to the end.
Ange Kouame led the Filipinos with 20 points in the loss that relegated them to the third-place game versus Tunisia later at 9:00 PM. Gilas previously beat the 2017 AfroBasket gold medalists last Friday in overtime, 74-73.
Jordan Heading finished with nine points built on three triples, alongside five rebounds, four assists, and a steal. The tandem of Thirdy Ravena and Dave Ildefonso, meanwhile, produced eight markers apiece.
The four kept the fight for Gilas in the second half. They eventually chopped the double-digit deficit to just four points, 72-68, following Koaume’s hook shot with only 3:26 remaining in the game.
The home team, however, was quick to respond. Sami Bzai first buried a shot from deep. Then naturalized player Cameron Forte followed it up with a lay-up of his own to push their lead to nine, 77-68, with 2:17 to spare.
Carl Tamayo and Dwight Ramos still tried to will the Philippine team back. But Ahmad Al Dwairi, Amin Abu Hawwas, and Fadi Mustafa joined hands to apply the finishing touches and send Jordan to the title match versus Egypt.
Tamayo and Ramos each had six points, with the latter registering an eye-catching minus-23 rating in the stinging defeat.
Al Dwairi powered Jordan with 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Forte had 19 himself as well. Mustafa finished with 17 points, eight assists, and six boards. Abu Hawwas chipped in 14 markers.
The four were the very same players who dealt Gilas a 72-84 beatdown Saturday that saw them buck a slow start through a third quarter firestorm.
The Scores:
Philippines 74 — Kouame 20, Heading 9, Ravena 8, Ildefonso 8, Ramos 6, Belangel 6, Tamayo 6, Baltazar 5, Go 4, Ma. Nieto 2, Suerte 0, Chiu 0.
Jordan 84 –– Al Dwairi 19, Forte 19, Mustafa 17, Abu Hawwas 14, Bzai 9, Alhamarsheh 3, Abbas 3, Abdeen 0, Hussein 0.
Quarterscores: 15-28, 34-44, 56-63, 74-84.
