Gilas Pilipinas will battle Lebanon in the quarter-finals of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China which kicks off on Thursday.
The Philippines, which placed first in Group E with a 4-1 record, shall face the West Asian country in the knockout stages after the latter beat Jordan, 80-76, to secure fourth spot in Group F.
Lebanon last made the quarter-finals of the biennial tournament in 2011, when it also clinched the fourth seed. They were booted out by China in the knockout stages and settled for sixth place overall.
Lebanon was supposed to host the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, but conflict in the nation pushed FIBA Asia to hand the hosting rights to the Philippines. Lebanon was later suspended for the 2013 tilt, so this is the first time in four years they are back in the knockout stages.
The Philippines is gunning for the outright spot in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and they are three wins away from fulfilling the goal.
Right now there is no room for error, as a loss will relegate Gilas to the 5th-8th place classification.
