Gilas Pilipinas recovered from a sluggish first half to defeat Qatar 92-81 in the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Playing in a mostly empty arena, Gilas looked out of sorts early in the first quarter. The same couldn't be said for Qatar, as they came out firing -- and landing -- 3-pointers. Qatar made 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in the first period. Gilas trailed 26-15 at the end of the first period.
Japeth Aguilar and Paul Lee shook Gilas out of the slump to begin the second half. Aguilar jumper at the 3:19 mark gave Gilas its first lead of the game and free throws from Lee stretched the lead to 67-62.
By the end of the third quarter, Gilas settled into a rhythm and a slim 67-64 lead.
With Stanley Pringle leading the way in the fourth, Gilas led by as many as 17 points in the final period.
"I just felt that we had to hang on, we just had to play our defense," Gilas Pilipinas coach Yeng Guiao said. "They're not going to be able to sustain 55 percent shooting. So when that time comes, we should be able to raise up our own percentage and keep the game close."
Aguilar paced Gilas Pilipinas with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Alex Cabagnot also had 16 points. Pringle chipped in with 13 points and six rebounds. Qatar was led by Nasser Khalifa Al-Rayes with 17 points.
"We just waited, and we were very patient," Guiao said. "Our 3-point shooting went in and we stepped up our defense."
With the win, Gilas Pilipinas climbs to 5-3 in the Group F standings, a game ahead of Japan and behind Iran (6-2) and Australia (7-1). Qatar drops to 2-6.
EXTRA DRIBBLES
Gilas Pilipinas' 3-point shooting woes continued as the team finished shooting 3-of-32 from beyond the arc against Qatar. After two games in the second round, the Philippines is 8-for-59 from 3-point range.
The Philippine bench was a major factor, outscoring their counterparts 66-8.
NEXT GAMES
Philippines: November 30 vs. Kazakhstan
Qatar: November 30 vs. Japan
THE SCORES
PHILIPPINES 92- Aguilar 16, Cabagnot 16, Pringle 13, Belga 11, Dalistan 8, Wright 6, Sangalang 5, Lassiter 5, Erram 4, Thompson 3, Taulava 3, Norwood 2
QATAR 81-Mohmmed 26, Ngombo 17, Al-Raye 17, Khalid 10, Mohamed 4, Gueye 3, Abdelbaset 3, Abdelhaleem 1, Lashin 0, Avdic 0.