TEAM Philippines shook off its lackluster first half and got its act together just in time to hammer Qatar, 92-81, in the 2019 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers on Monday in their closed-door game at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Scottie Thompson pumped life into the home team by setting the tone for a killer third-quarter assault that saw the nationals battle back from a 17-point deficit by outscoring the Qataris, 28-12, in that stretch.
Japeth Aguilar scored six of his 16 points in the third frame, including the four points that swung the lead in the Philippines' favor, 59-58 at the 3:19 mark. He also grabbed nine rebounds in a memorable reunion with national coach Yeng Guiao.
Alex Cabagnot added 16 points, four boards, and three dimes; Stanley Pringle pitched in with 13 points, six rebounds, and three assists in his Fiba debut, and Beau Belga dropped 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
That second-half awakening saved the day for Philippines, which went 1-of-15 from downtown in the first half against Qatar's hot 7-of-13 clip from beyond the arc and consequently fell behind, 37-20.
Though the Filipinos only managed to drain two more triples in the second half, they did outwork the Qataris off the boards, 54-40, and held the opposition to just 29 points after the break.
Team Pilipinas improved to a 5-3 record in Group F, still in third place and a win ahead of fourth-seed Japan (4-4), which made a big move by pulling the rug from under Iran earlier in the day.
Qatar, on the other hand, remained in the cellar at 2-6.
The Philippines returns to action on November 30 when it hosts Kazakhstan and again on December 3 against Iran, both at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Mohammed Yousuf Mohammed had 26 points, seven rebounds, and five assists while Tanguy Ngombo and Nasser Al-Rayes both had 17 for the Qataris, which went cold from deep (0-for-9) in the second half.
The scores:
PHILIPPINES 92 - Aguilar 16, Cabagnot 16, Pringle 13, Belga 11, Lee 8, Wright 6, Lassiter 5, Sangalang 5, Erram 4, Thompson 3, Taulava 3, Norwood 2.
QATAR 81 - Mohammed MY 26, Al-Rayes 17, Ngombo 17, Khalid 10, Mohammed MH 4, Abdelbaset 3, Gueye 3, Abdelhaleem 1, Avdic 0, Lashin 0.
Quarterscores: 15-26, 39-52, 67-64, 92-81.
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