GILAS Pilipinas got its act together in the final quarter to survive Iran, 63-48, and end its campaign in the Heyuan WUS International Basketball Tournament on a winning note in Guandong, China.
Kiefer Ravena combined with Ray Parks, Jamie Malonzo and Dwight Ramos in a fiery finishing kick that enabled Gilas to finally break away for good after blowing an early double-digit lead and trailing Iran in the middle quarters.
LOOK: Jordan Clarkson is bound for Manila to join Gilas
A decisive 12-0 run that was highlighted by a Ravena three-pointer enabled the Filipinos to repeat over Iran and end their campaign in the China mini pocket tournament with a 3-1 win-loss record in a tie with African team Senegal.
Dwight Ramos was consistent in churning out a double-digit scoring for Gilas in the entire tournament with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Jamie Malonzo added 11 and 14 rbounds after being held scoreless in the 75-63 win over Senegal the other day.
Ravena had nine points, six rebounds, and six assists even as young big man AJ Edu scored eight and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Gilas led by as many as 24-9, but Iran battled its way back in the second quarter to make it a 31-30 game at the half. The Iranians even led by as many as 35-40 in the third quarter, before Gilas tied the game at 46 early in the fourth.
It was 49-47 Gilas game with 4:40 to play before the Filipinos came through with 12 consecutive points for a 61-47 lead.
Gilas returns to the country on Tuesday and reunites with naturalized player Jordan Clarkson the following day in practice. The 31-year-old Clarkson will arrive in the country early Tuesday morning.
The scores
Philippines (63) – Ramos 17, Malonzo 11, K. Ravena 9, Edu 8, Newsome 4, Fajardo 4, Oftana 3, Pogoy 3, Perez 2, Parks 2, Abando 0.
Iran (48) – Yazarlou 9, Irzahan 6, Kashani 6, Jafari 5, Khosravi 5, Azari 5, Hatami Far 4, Mokarian 3, Sharifi 2, Taheri 2, Alizadeh 1, Rahimian
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