Gilas-Pilipinas II bows to Qatar, 63-79, good for fourth place

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas-Pilipinas II failed to salvage a third place finish as it yielded to Qatar, 63-79, Saturday in the 4th Fiba Asia Cup in Tokyo.

The Philippines, which succumbed to Iran, 60-77, in the semifinals, made just two triples out of 18 attempts.

And with Marcus Douthit playing in pain in the second half due to a sprained ankle, Qatar capitalized.

The Nationals showed life in the third period as they roared back from nine points down to pull to within two, 36-38, after a Jared Dillinger jumper at the 7:17 mark.

But Qatar’s main man Trey Johnson kept the Philippines at bay with timely baskets.

Douthit still made an impact despite the injury but wasn’t in full strength to really dominated on both ends.

The Nationals were just down seven, 54-61, in the fourth quarter and seemed primed for another comeback until Qatar connected on four straight treys that put the game out of reach.

Yousuf Mohammed sparked Qatar’s run after banking a well-contested top-of-the-key three as the shot clock was winding down.

Mohammed led the way with 17 points on top of nine rebounds while Saeed added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds for Qatar, who lost to Japan, 66-73, in their semis match.