Gilas Pilipinas slipped against Lebanon as it failed to follow up on a triumphant opener in the Doha International Cup.
Gilas Pilipinas failed to follow up on its triumphant debut less than 24 hours ago, succumbing to Lebanon, 75-54, in the Doha International Cup Sunday morning, Feb. 16 (PH time).
Karim Zeinoun ran the court after a turnover, then dished the ball out to a streakting Gerard Hadidian for the easy dunk in transition to silence the predominantly Filipino crowd at the QU Sports & Events Complex.
That capped an 11-2 run by Lebanon to open the fourth, giving it a 62-50 lead and eventually the win.
Jad Khalil then nailed a booming triple at the 5:03 mark for a comfortable 15-point advantage they never relinquished.
Gilas just couldn’t recover from there.
After a sorry loss to Egypt in the opener, the Lebanese squad rebounded and improved to a 1-1 win-loss record.
Gilas share the same record with its tormentor.
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Hadidian and Khalil were at the forefront of Lebanon’s attack, putting up 18 points apiece.
Zeiuoun added 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, while Ater Majok had a field day and churned out 12 points, nine rebounds, a steal and a block.
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It was a nip-and-tuck battle in the first three quarters, but the Lebanese squad slowly pulled away late on the way to the win.
Only two players finished in double figures for Gilas, with Justin Brownlee finishing with 21 points, including 15 in the first half.
He also had 11 rebounds and an assist but turned the ball over four times. Calvin Oftana fired two three-pointers for 10 points and three boards.
The Nationals will wrap up their stint against Egypt on Monday, Feb. 17, at 1:30 a.m. (PH time).