Gilas 5 ends Dubai elims with loss to Syria

Al Wahda Syria used its height advantage and outside shooting to the hilt in pulling off a 91-89 win over Smart Gilas Pilipinas in Monday night’s game in the 22nd Dubai International Basketball Tournament at the Al Ahli Club, in Dubai. Syria dominated the boards in the final seconds of the match to preserve the win and finish Group B with a 3-1 win-loss record, while Gilas had a 2-2 mark for second place in the same group. Al Wahda will face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) National team in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Gilas battles Hoops Lebanon in a Last 8 match on Wednesday. Tied at 79-all early in the fourth, Al Wahda made three straight 3-pointers to enjoy an 88-79 lead entering the final two minutes of the match. But Rajko Toroman’s Gilas crew wouldn’t go down without a fight as JV Casio buried consecutive 3-pointers while 6-foot-10 center Marcus Douthit converted two free throws to put the Filipinos within one, 88-87. Al Wahda had a number of misses in the final seconds but had more ball possessions because of their offensive rebounding. – JVP, KY, GMANews.TV