SMART GILAS Pilipinas continued to build some sort of a winning record over Jordan, squeezing a 75-71 win Wednesday to clinch a quarterfinal berth in the Fiba Asia Stankovic Cup in Beirut.
Mac Baracael fired 16 points and Asi Taulava struck again with double-double figures to power the RP dribblers to their second win after an opening-day defeat to host Lebanon.
It was Smart Gilas’ second straight victory over Jordan after beating the Fiba World Championship-bound squad in a tournament two months ago at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Nationals have now beaten defending champion Jordan, one of Asia’s elite squads, three out of four times this year.
A last-minute addition to Smart Gilas, the 6-foot-9 Taulava held his own against Jordan’s rugged frontline of 7-footer Ayman Idais and 6-10 Zaid Alkhas by racking up 13 points and 12 rebounds in an impressive followup to his 16-point, 19-rebound effort against Syria.
Co-captains Chris Tiu and Mark Barroca also came away with 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Japeth Aguilar, who suffered a cut on his left leg that needed 22 stitches to close, contributed four points and six rebounds.
“He (Taulava) has definitely added size and responded well to the team,” said Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman. “I think we can use him in the long term.”
Taulava, loaned by the Coca-Cola Tigers to Smart Gilas with the blessings of the PBA, effectively filled the void in the middle after naturalization candidate Marcus Douthit and 7-footer Greg Slaughter missed the tournament.
The 6-foot-10 Douthit has yet to secure his Filipino passport while Slaughter opted to fulfill his academic commitments in Cebu.
Jordan lost to Smart Gilas despite a solid lineup composed of veterans Osama Daghles, Rasheim Wright, Zaid Abbas, Enver Soobzokov and big men Idais and Alkhas.
The Nationals wrap up their Group B assignments today against Qatar, which remained undefeated along with Lebanon (2-0) after defeating Syria and Jordan.
A win over Qatar, a team made up mostly of naturalized Africans, would open the doors for the Filipinos to finish in the top two.
In Group A, Kazakhstan stunned Asian champion Iran, 80-67, while Chinese Taipei bested Iraq, 86-77. Photo by Associated Press
The scores:
PHILIPPINES 75—Baracael 16, Taulava 13, Tiu 13, Barroca 12, Casio 8, Ababou 5, Aguilar 4, Lassiter 4, Ballesteros 0.
JORDAN 71—Wright 17, Daghles 15, Idais 11, Z. Abbas 9, Alawadi 7, Soobzokov 5, Alkhas 4, I. Abbas 0, Hadrab 0.
Quarters: 12-18, 32-all, 53-48, 75-71
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