GILAS Pilipinas got a big scare from Thailand before hanging on for a 66-65 victory on Thursday night to sweep the elimination round of the Southeast Asia Basketball Association (Seaba) Stankovic Cup at the Stadium 29 in Bangkok.
Michael Tolomia and Kevin Ferrer hit crucial three-pointers in the closing minute but Gilas nearly paid dearly for its inbound booboo in the last 1.6 seconds, as Chitchai Ananti’s half-court heave almost went in as time expired.
The game had no bearing for both teams. They are scheduled to meet in the finals at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. They also already qualified for the International Basketball Association Asia Challenge in Tehran, Iran, in September.
Team captain Troy Rosario paced Gilas with 20 points and 10 rebounds but his lazy inbound pass with 1.6 ticks left was picked up by Ananti at midcourt and the Thai’s attempt almost went through.
“It’s hard to play a veteran team like Thailand. They are smart and very disciplined. It’s a good thing that the young players were up to the challenge,” Racela said.
Mark Belo chipped in 18 markers for the Filipinos, who missed their first 25 three-point attempts and finished three-of-37 overall from rainbow territory.
Tolomia contributed nine points and nine boards, while Ferrer had seven markers and was responsible for halting Gilas’s three-point shooting woes that gave Gilas a 54-49 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Thais answered with an 11-4 run capped by Nakorn Jaisanuk to grab the lead, 60-58, 4:43 remaining.
After Rosario knotted the score with two free throws at 60-all, Thailand went three-of-six from the free-throw area for a 63-60 lead with 2:07 left.
Tolomia swished a triple at the top of the key for 63-all, and Belo had a crucial steal on Attaporn Lertmalaiporn that led to a Ferrer triple from the corner to give the Philippines a 66-63 advantage with under a minute left.
Ananti scored in the next play for the Thais, 65-66, and had the chance to regain the lead after Ferrer missed a three-point attempt. But Reymar Jose blocked Bandit Lakhan’s drive with 1.6 ticks left.
Gilas only needed to a good inbound play, but Rosario opted to roll the ball at midcourt and was picked up by Ananti, who had a clear attempt from center court but missed the target.
Ananti led Thailand with 14 points, while Nakorn Jaisanuk added 12 markers for the Tim Lewis-coached team. The Thais finished the eliminations with a 3-1 slate.