Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Not every team can push through perilous situations and Kazakhstan showed it has what it takes in a 92-88 victory over the Philippines in the second round of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
The Kazakhs were holding onto a 90-88 lead with less than half a minute remaining and they had a hard time setting up a shot as the Filipinos hounded their passing lanes in front of a rabid Philippine audience at Mall of Asia Arena.
But Kazakh captain Alexandr Zhigulin knew how his team remained composed during that pressure-packed situation—just be totally stoic.
“Of course, there was pressure but we stayed calm and we did our job without any emotions,” said Zhigulin as his team improved to a 4-5 record while staying in fifth place of Group F.
The Snow Leopards have a slim chance of advancing to the 2019 Fiba World Cup since only the top three teams in both Groups E and F and the better of the two fourth placers will advance to China.
Still, it was a win Kazakhstan savored especially with the way they pulled it off.
It was a tit-for-tat affair throughout the whole game and Marcio Lassiter’s three with 26.1 seconds left cut Kazakhstan’s lead to two, 90-88.
The Snow Leopards were able to nail the dagger field goal when guard Rustam Yergali connected with big man Anton Bykov for the clutch layup with 12.7 seconds left in the game.
“The last two points from Bykov and that assist from Yergali were very important, and in that moment you won’t feel any pressure,” said Zhigulin who finished with 30 points and seven rebounds.
“At that moment you feel like we can finish and that we can win. More importantly we stayed without emotions.”