Gilas Pilipinas staged a thrilling comeback to clinch its first win in the 2nd Doha International Cup, defeating Qatar, 74-71, in an electrifying debut early Saturday morning (Manila time).
Both teams were neck-and-neck in the first half, with the host nation edging out the Philippine side, 40-38.
With less than eight minutes left in the fourth period, Qatar took control, leading 66-58 after building a strong advantage in the third quarter.
In the closing minutes, Justin Brownlee, AJ Edu, and Dwight Ramos played crucial roles in overcoming an 11-point deficit.
Brownlee, who battled through a rough start, punctuated the game with a powerful dunk from an Edu assist to put the Philippines ahead 70-69.
Ramos followed with a basket, and Scottie Thompson sealed the win with two perfect free throws in the final 16 seconds, sending the University of Qatar crowd into a frenzy.
Qatar's hopes of extending the game faded when Mike Lewis' three-point attempt on the final play fell short.
Ramos paced the Philippine team with 15 points, including three successful three-pointers, while June Mar Fajardo contributed 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Barangay Ginebra teammates Brownlee and Thompson each chipped in with 10 points.
Tyler Harris led Qatar’s offense with 17 points, while Mike Lewis was the only other player to reach double digits, finishing with 15 points.
Quarterscores: 18-20, 38-40, 51-50, 74-71.
Gilas Pilipinas is scheduled to face Lebanon on February 15 at 11 PM (Manila time).
The Doha friendlies are part of the national team’s preparation for both the February window of the FIBA Asia Cup and the main tournament in August.
They will face New Zealand and Chinese Taipei once again in two away matches.
