Gilas-Pilipinas loses game, Group A top spot to Chinese-Taipei

Chinese-Taipei couldn’t have written a better script on how to hurt Philippine pride even more.
The Taiwanese came roaring back from 13 points down at the start of the fourth period Saturday night to trip Gilas-Pilipinas, 84-79, and earn top honors in Group A of the 27th Fiba-Asia Championship before a stunned hometown crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena.
In the most-attended game thus far, the Filipinos had a fourth quarter implosion that told as they allowed the Taiwanese back in the game and threw away a gallant effort in the first three periods where they erased deficits of as many as 12.
Chinese-Taipei emerged unscathed after three games in first round action, while the Philippines slumped to its first loss after opening up with victories over Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
A huge chunk of the close to 20,000 in attendance at the ultra-modern venue was there to jeer the Taiwanese, who refused to issue an invitation to the Filipinos who were supposed to defend their Jones Cup title last month in Taipei.
But after holding the Filipinos to just a single basket in the first six minutes of the fourth, the Taiwanese were effectively able to silence a partisan crowd and eventually walk away with the win.
Chinese-Taipei used the three-point shot as a lethal weapon, connecting on 15-of-30 tries, with the last two coming in the stretch proving to be the back-breakers.
“Allow me to apologize to my countrymen, I would have wanted to win this game for them,” Philippine team coach Chot Reyes said in a somber tone after he failed to check a tailspin that his wards got into at the start of the fourth quarter.
Lin Chih-Chieh fired 22 points to lead the Taiwanese, who won a game against a Philippine Team for the first time since the Gilas-Pilipinas program was born.
The victory was sweet for the Taiwanese and was the bitterest of pills to swallow for the Filipinos, who came charging back in the third quarter mainly through Larry Fonacier to lead by as many as 68-53.
Fonacier finished with 21 points but was on the bench – and so were the others who helped in the third period blitzkrieg – when the fourth period started.
And by the time the Taiwanese got into striking distance, Reyes could not get Fonacier and most of the other guys to play the same way they did in the fourth.
The Taiwanese converted nine three-pointers in the first two quarters alone with shooting guard Lin Chih-Chieh draining two and forward Tien Lei four, including one that ushered Chinese-Taipei to a 26-15 lead.
Iran, the 2007 and 2009 champion, also topped Group C after ripping defending champion China apart, 70-51, in an earlier game.
The Iranians were in their elements all game long, especially with Chinese superstar Yi Jianlian rested because of a slight hamstring pull and a groin injury.
Iran will carry its 3-0 record into the second round of the preliminaries, while China will have a 1-2 slate. Still, no one is counting the Chinese out as they could still finish fourth after another round of eliminations and make it to the knockout stages.
The bad news that came with the Iran win is that the Philippines could come face-to-face with the Chinese as early as the quarterfinal round since China could finish in third or fourth spot depending on how well they extend Yi.
Hamed Hadadi, the National Basketball Association veteran, had another sterling game for Iran.
“We played a very good game, but still not good for 40 minutes,” said Iran’s Slovenian coach Mehmed Becirovic, pointing to 14 turnovers for the night. “But we’ll try to improve on our mistakes and adjust in succeeding games.”
Iran broke out of the gates hard and never looked back, taking a 9-0 lead on three freethrows by creative shooting forward Nikka Bahrami after Chinese coach Panagiotis Giannakis was slapped a technical foul for continuous complaining.
Liu Xiaoyu’s fallaway jumper over the outstretch arms of Hadadi with 5:32 left in the opening quarter was China’s first basket. But even then, the Chinese didn’t seem like they could match up with the Iranians.
Bahrami then drilled a three-pointer from deep right corner and followed it up with a baseline drive. Hamed Afagh swished another triple that made it 17-4 and set the tables up for China’s worst loss thus far in the 15-nation event that will award three slots to next year’s World Championship in Madrid, Spain.
“He (Yi) has a problem coming here, we want him healthy in the knockout games,” said Giannakis, in explaining why he didn’t field in Yi.
South Korea bounced back from a mangling it took at the hands of the Iranians with a clinical 80-58 demolition job of Malaysia.
Big man Lee Seung-jun had 18 points and forward Lee Jong-hyun added 12 for the Koreans, who still managed to post the lopsided win despite not being at their best.
The Koreans turned the ball over 19 times but still emerged as the second-best team in Group C with a 2-1 record they will carry over into the next round.
Malaysia lost for the third straight game and will be relegated into the classification stages.
Kazakhstan also advanced after sweeping its first-round opponents in Group D following an 80-67 decision of India.
Mikhail Yevstigneyev and naturalized guard Jerry Johnson scored 21 and 16 points, respectively, to lead the Kazakhs, who are being tipped as the No. 4 finisher after another round of eliminations starting Monday.
Jarvis Hayes, Qatar’s naturalized player, had 25 points and point guard Daoud Mosa Daoud contributed 17 as unbeaten Qatar drubbed Hong Kong, 87-64, to end the first round with two victories.
Together with Japan, the Qataris and Hong Kong will progress to the next round after Lebanon has been suspended by Fiba-Asia which left just three countries in Group B.
Group E will thus be made up of the Taiwanese, the Filipinos, Qatar, Japan and Hong Kong and Jordan, a 63-47 winner over Saudi Arabia in a late game.