Rey Suerte and Ange Kouame made huge plays down the stretch to lift the Gilas Pilipinas past African powerhouse Tunisia, 74-73, in the King Abdullah Cup on Friday morning at the Prince Hamza Hall in Amman, Jordan.

Down 51-59 in the fourth canto, the Gilas made a furious comeback that culminated with Suerte, a former two-time MVP of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) canning a triple to tie the match at 66-all with 33 seconds left in regulation.

Then, in overtime, Kouame made the pass that led to Thirdy Ravena canning the game-winning free-throw before coming up with a huge block in the dying seconds to preserve the victory, the Gilas’ second in three games.

Kouame, the Gilas’ naturalized player, led the team with a complete stat line of 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists, five blocks and two steals while wingman Dwight Ramos added 11 markers, three boards and two dimes. SJ Belangel also contributed 10 points and four assists.

Next up for the Philippines is a game versus Jordan-A. (JNP)