Gilas Pilipinas Boys’ late rally fell short, as they bowed to host Jordan, 62-56, absorbing their first loss in the FIBA Under-18 Asian Championship early Wednesday morning (Manila time) at the Prince Hamza Arena Complex in As-Salt.
In a closely contested game for the first 30 minutes, Jordan managed to break away late in the third quarter, gaining a five-point lead entering the final frame.
A three-pointer from Rawhi Zeid Kilani, coupled with an and-one from Saif Al-Deen Saleh, extended the hosts’ lead to 12 with seven minutes remaining.
Though Mark Esperanza and Cabs Cabonilas attempted to rally Gilas back, key baskets from Hadi Amma Alshami and two clutch free throws by Omar Khaled Mahmoud sealed the win for Jordan.
(C) FIBA.basketball
Both Jordan and the Philippines now hold a 1-1 record in Group D. Jordan previously lost to New Zealand, 62-71, while the Philippines blew out Indonesia, 75-48, on opening day.
The Philippines will next face New Zealand tonight at 9:30 PM. The team earlier routed Indonesia, 89-43.
Adamson’s Mark Esperanza was the sole double-digit scorer for the Philippines, finishing with 14 points and six assists.
Cabs Cabonilas, who tallied 19 points and eight rebounds against Indonesia, was held to just nine points.
For Jordan, Saleh notched a 14-point, 15-rebound double-double, while Kilani, who played all 40 minutes, contributed 13 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.
The Scores:
Philippines 56 – Esperanza 14, Cabonilas 9, Medina 6, Perez 6, Burgos 5, Manding 5, Esteban 4, Figueroa 4, Lorenzo 3, Ludovice 0, Santos 0.
Jordan 62 – Saleh 14, Kilani 13, Alshami 10, Salman 7, Shaaban 7, Shatat 2, Ghazal 2, Aljaibat 2, Kassem 1, Ababneh 0.
Quarterscores: 13-17, 34-36, 40-45, 56-62.
