Gilas aims for semis slot

source: mb.com.ph

Games Friday (Philsports Arena)

2 p.m. — Qatar-Al Rayyan vs Jordan-ASU

4 p.m. — Iraq-Duhok vvs Lebanon-Al Riyadi

6 p.m. — Smart-Gilas Pilipinas vs Syria-Al Jaala’a

8 p.m. — Iran-Mahram vs Saudi Arabia-Al Ittihad


MANILA, Philippines — Buoyed by its stunning 76-74 come-from-behind win over Jordan-ASU Wednesday night, Smart-Gilas Pilipinas tries to clinch a semis berth when it battles Syria-Al Jaala’a Friday in the 22nd FIBA-Asia Champions Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The win over the Jordanians enabled the Nationals to complete a four-game sweep of their group and earn the privilege of facing a lighter foe in the quarterfinal round.

The Syrians finished with a 1-3 record in Group B topped by Lebanon with a 4-0 record.

Smart-Gilas and Al Jala’a will face-off at 6 p.m.

Also clashing in the crossover quarters are Jordan-ASU versus Qatar-Al Rayyan at 2 p.m., followed by the 4 p.m. encounter between Lebanon-Al Riyadi and Iraq-Duhok. At 8 p.m., two-time defending champion Iran-Mahram takes on Saudi Arabia-Al Ittihad.

The loss to the Philippines dropped the highly-touted Jordanians to second with a 3-1 mark. The Saudis ended up third with a 2-2 card followed by Iraq (1-3).

Dondon Hontiveros, who turned 34 the other day, celebrated his birthday with a 23-point production against Jordan, shooting 8-of-14 from the field highlighted by six three-pointers.

The 6-foot-2 Hontiveros, who shot 6 of 11 from the threepoint area, also had four rebounds and two steals, and helped contain Jordan’s top playmaker Osama Daghles who finished with 17 markers on 6-of-21 shooting with six turnovers.

He credited crowd support for giving them the important win.

“Malaking bagay talaga ’yung crowd support, it gives us added energy to play harder,” said Hontiveros, who had six points – a triple and three-point play – in a 15-6 run that turned a 55-60 deficit to 70-66 lead with a minute left to play.

Against Syria, Smart-Gilas Serbian mentor Rajko Toroman expects the same fighting heart from his team that also include 6-foot-10 naturalized player Marcus Douthit, Chris Tiu, JV Casio, Mac Baracael, Asi Taulava, Mark Barroca,

Marcio Lassiter, Chris Lutz and Japeth Aguilar.

“It’s a big win against Jordan. We showed that we can be very respectable,” said Toroman. “However, this is just a small step. Our game against Syria is now the most important game for us. We have a good chance to make the semis.

From there anything is possible.”While Toroman expressed satisfaction with his team’s defense in the preliminaries, he said offensively they are still adjusting. Having another break yesterday gave them the opportunity to work on their shooting.

Against ASU, Smart-Gilas was 27-of-74 (36%) from the field, and in a previous win over Duhok (74-64), Toroman’s team went 28-of-69 (41%).

Still, the Serbian bench tactician feels they have a better chance against Syria, which for him remains a level lower compared to teams like Lebanon, Iran, Jordan and Qatar to make it to the semifinals of the Champions Cup.

source: mb.com.ph