THE PHILIPPINES rose from 15 points down in the final seven minutes to stun host Qatar, 82-79, in the Fiba Asia Under-18 Championship Friday night at Al-Gharafa Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
Dave Yu, Radge Tongco, Paul Desiderio and Kobe Paras fueled the huge rally that sealed the upset win and pushed the national youth team up to third with a 2-1 record behind powerhouses China (3-0) and South Korea (3-0) in Group E of the second round.
Yu, who topscored with 16 points, sparked Batang Gilas’ comeback from a 15-point deficit, 53-68, in the last 7:43 minutes by knocking in three straight triples.
Tongco drilled seven of the team’s last 14 points, including a bucket that trimmed the lead to just a point, 78-79, before Desiderio buried the go-ahead basket, 80-79, with 17 seconds left.
Paras and Tongco, who both had key steals in the closing seconds, nailed the buffer free throws for the final tally.
Tongco, Desiderio and Paras finished with 13 points each. Jasmine W. Payo