GILAS Pilipinas suffered its second loss in the 37th William Jones Cup after bowing to Asian powerhouse Iran, 74-65, in New Taipei City, Taiwan, Thursday afternoon.
Gilas had some troubles with the height advantage of Iran in the first quarter, especially with the presence of Hamed Haddadi in the shaded area, allowing the Iranians to take the lead, 17-14.
Both teams also got into a heated play involving Ranidel De Ocampo, Moala Tautuaa, and Haddadi. However, cooler heads were able to pull them apart.
The Iranians showed good outside shooting in the second quarter, but the Filipinos were able to stay close to them, 34-31, at the end of the first half.
Iran continued to impose their height advantage in the third and fourth quarter as they took control of the post through their 7'2" center Haddadi. It also allowed the shooters of Iran to be wide open from the three-point line.
Gilas, which slipped to 3-2 win-loss record, will play its sixth straight game in the tournament on Friday against New Zealand Wellington Saints. (Nicko Tubo/Sunnex)