Gilas falls short vs Lebanon, but makes Olympic qualifier

The short-handed Smart-Gilas Pilipinas national developmental team pushed host Lebanon to the limit, but fell short in the end, dropping an 80-81 loss Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in the FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup basketball tournament at the Ghazir Sporting Club in Beirut. The Filipinos rallied from 10 points down behind the torrid shooting of Marcio Lassiter and Mac Barracael. The national team aspirants were trailing, 65-75, inside the final six-minute mark of the payoff period when Barracael and Lassiter unloaded back-to-back triples that triggered a late spurt by the Filipinos, who are also being supported by GMA PinoyTV. A Chris Tiu triple shoved the national team aspirants within striking distance, 77-78, with 1:32 left in the game. The Filipinos had a chance to snatch a win as they were given the last crack at the basket, but they couldn’t get a good shot as time expired, allowing the host team to make its way to the finals. Lebanon coach Tab Baldwin expected a tough encounter against the hard-fighting Filipinos. “We didn’t expect it to be an easy game anyway," said Baldwin, who drew a monster game from seasoned campaigner Fadi El Khatib and NBA veteran Jackson Vroman. El Khatib, who is coming off an injury, scored a game-high 25 points, while Vroman contributed 23. “He is getting better as far as the larger picture is concerned," said Baldwin, referring to El Khatib. “We wouldn’t have win it against the Philippines without him." “He did a great job in transition in the first half. But then, you can’t expect a big guy like to him to guard these little speedy guys." The Filipinos will play Qatar in the battle for third Sunday (Monday morning in Manila). By finishing either third or fourth, Smart-Gilas will earn a seat to the 2011 FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championship next year. The FIBA Asia Championship is the qualifying tournament for the 2012 London Olympics.