FIBA-Asia: Gutsy Gilas beats Jordan with big come-from-behind win

Showing mental toughness amid difficult circumstances, Smart Gilas Pilipinas pulled off a 72-64 come-from-behind win over Jordan Monday to open its second round campaign in the 26th FIBA-Asia Championship For Men. The Nationals played without Marcio Lassiter and Chriz Lutz for the first seven minutes of the game, and then survived a huge, 18-point deficit early in the second quarter in pulling off what coach Rajko Toroman described as the biggest win in his coaching career. “It was big win for us, maybe the biggest win in my life," admitted Toroman. “I’ve won for Iran, but this is something special. Under this kind of circumstances, only the tough players with the big heart can win this kind of game. It seemed everything was stacked against the Nationals as the match was already marred by controversy even before the opening tip off. Despite being given the green light by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to play for Smart Gilas, Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz were still barred by FIBA-Asia officials from competing in their first Olympic qualifying meet, their names officially scratched off from the 12-man roster of the team just minutes before game time. Only after an official communication from FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann to FIBA-Asia deputy secretary general Hagop Khajirian were both Fil-Ams finally given the clearance to suit up. However, by the time the clearance was given, the Nationals were stuck in an 11-29 quagmire in the second quarter, built behind nine straight unanswered points by the Jordanians and punctuated by a Rasheim Wright medium range jumper. But the tide turned once Smart Gilas was back in full force. PBA playmaker Jimmy Alapag and Lassiter sparked the Nationals’ outside shooting with back-to-back three-pointers, while Marcus Douthit took care of the middle as the three spear-headed a game-changing third quarter run that saw the team get back the lead after a long chase, 47-41. The game was tight from there on before the Nationals canned four straight free throws in the final 25 seconds to secure the all-important win. “To beat Jordan under this circumstances is simply amazing. I think the players deserved all the credit," Toroman gushed. “Tougher team mentally won the game," admitted Jordan coach Thomas Baldwin, who said he placed the game under protest at halftime when tournament officials allowed both Lutz and Lassiter to play. Douthit proved his dominance inside with 19 points and 15 rebounds, Alapag had 11, and Lassiter with 14, including 4-of-10 from three-point range. “Marcio is one of our best wing players. Without him, we’ll never win this game," said Toroman of the 23-year-old Fil-Am from Marshall University. The Nationals improved to 2-1 overall, and will face unbeaten Japan at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Japanese hiked their record to 3-0 after routing United Arab Emirates, 101-61. Osama Daghles scored 18 points and Rasheim Wright 16 to lead Jordan. Wright however, was 0-of-9 from three-point range, including his last attempt in the final 31 seconds of the game and Jordan trailing, 64-66. - OMG, GMA News The scores: Smart-Gilas (72) -- Douthit 19, Lassiter 14, Alapag 11, Tiu 9, Williams 6, Lutz 4, de Ocampo 4, Casio 3, Taulava 2, Barroca 0, Aguilar 0, Baracael 0. Jordan( 64) -- Daghles 18, Wright 16, Abbas Z. 10, Abuqoura 7, Abbas I. 6, Al-Sous 5, Jamal 2, Soobzokov 0. Quarterscores: 11-20; 26-31; 47-47; 72-64.