GILAS Pilipinas ended its Estonia trip with another loss, dropping an 86-76 decision to Iceland on Saturday night in the four-nation pocket tournament at the Saku Suurhall in Talinn.
The Nationals failed to sustain their seven-point lead in the third quarter as Iceland made a run in the fourth period to hand the Filipinos their third straight loss in as many games.
The PHL 5 also lost to the Netherlands, 62-89, and host Estonia, 80-90, to finish last in this pocket tournament.
The Nationals used a 23-2 run in the third canto to zoom to a 51-45 lead but Iceland recovered and regained a 55-54 edge and never looked back in the game.
Iceland even padded the lead to 10 but PHL 5 made another rally and Jayson Castro’s jumper sliced the lead to 73-78 with 1:30 remaining.
But Iceland connected with a triple in the ensuing play to ice the game.
Calvin Abueva missed the game due to a back injury, joining Gilas veterans Jimmy Alapag and Ranidel de Ocampo on the bench.
Terrence Romeo fired a team-high 23 points to lead Gilas Pilipinas, which is using this European trip as part of its buildup for the International Basketball Federation Asia Men’s Championship in Changsa, China, from September 23 to October 3.
The Changsa joust is the qualifier for next year’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil.
Head Coach Tab Baldwin and his pool are expected to be back this week and prepare for the annual William R. Jones Cup invitational tournament in Taiwan slated from August 29 to September 6.