AFTER missing the Philippines’ last four games since that brawl with Australia in Bulacan, naturalized big man Andray Blatche had a impressive return, leading the Filipinos to a crucial win over Qatar in Doha.
Gilas Pilipinas kept its World Cup hopes alive after an 84-46 beating of Qatar in Group F of the Fiba Asian Qualifiers Friday dawn, Feb. 22.
Blatche, who plays in China for the Tianjin Gold Lions, led in almost all categories for the Philippines. He dropped 17 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out seven assists, had two steals and two blocks. Marcio Lassiter, who went 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, scored 14 markers along with three boards, a steal and a block. Paul Lee added 13 points and seven rebounds, veteran floor general Jayson Castro contributed 11 and Japeth Aguilar had 10 points, five rebounds, a steal and two blocks.
Efran Ali Saeed was the only Qatari player who reached double digits in scoring, with 10 points from a dismal 23.1 field goal percentage. He also had eight rebounds and a steal.
The Philippines immediately took the lead from the start, 15-11, after the first. The lead ballooned to 10, 31-21, at halftime. It was in the third quarter that the Philippines widened the gap after outscoring Qatar, 31-9.
The Philippines is still in fourth place with a 6-5 record after Japan beat Iran, 97-89. Australia, which already clinched one of three World Cup slots in Group F, leads the group with a 10-1 record after an 81-60 thrashing of Kazakhstan. Japan is second at 7-4, while Iran is third with an identical record.
The Philippines has one more game against Kazakhstan on Feb. 24 and could take third place if Japan gets upset by Qatar and Gilas Pilipinas beats Kazakhstan. Another chance for the Philippines to enter the World Cup is becoming the fourth place team with the best record. (EKA)