The Philippines once again started hot in Sevilla but its latest opponent, Puerto Rico, spoiled the newcomers’ party.
Relying on the heroics of NBA veteran J.J. Barea, 17th-ranked Puerto Rico ousted the winless Gilas Pilipinas, 77-73, in another heartbreaker Wednesday.
The Minnesota Timberwolves standout, standing tallest even at 5’10”, torched the Philippines with 30 points, ten of which came in the pivotal fourth quarter when he launched eight straight points to nail the coffin for Gilas for a 75-70 lead.
Barea proved too hot to handle against the defense of L.A. Tenorio and Jimmy Alapag as he his three-pointer approaching the last two minute mark and a dribble drive with less than a minute to go became the turning point for Puerto Rico.
He also made three-of-four free throws down the wire, combining for a splendid 11-for-12 shooting from the charity stripe.
The Philippines though opened the game splendidly, just as how it opened its previous game against Argentina.
Paul Lee (Dalistan) and Tenorio figured out in the first half upsurge as pint-sized guards converted shots closer to the basket, with dribble drives and mid-range jumpers as they matched well with the Puerto Rican backcourt in terms of size.
With the help of the ever-reliable Andray Blatche, Gilas surged to a 29-15 lead in the second quarter, their biggest in the tournament.
Barea proved to be the fire extinguisher against the blazing Gilas five, scoring nine second quarter points as his teammates exploited the Philippines’ propensity to foul on drives and transition plays.
Puerto Rico’s aggressive pounding to the basket continued in the third quarter, as Puerto Rico thrived on lay-ups, putbacks, and free throws to gain the lead at 61-77 to close the quarter.
The Philippines leveled the game early in the fourth quarter as Blatche to much control on the offensive end but Barea proved to powerful for Gilas to defend.
Gilas, led by Blatche with 25 points and 14 rebounds and backed up by the 5’8” Tenorio with 18 points, will play for glory against Senegal on Thursday.
Puerto Rico, on the other hand, can advance to the Round-of 16 if they defeat Croatia tomorrow and if Eastern European team loses to undefeated Greece later tonight.
Box scores:
Puerto Rico 77 – Barea 30, Sanchez 13, Huertas 13, Rivera 5, Galindo 5, Diaz 4, Franklin 3, Balkman 2, Clemente 2,
Philippines 73 – Blatche 25, Tenorio 18, Dalistan (Lee) 10, Norwood 6, Alapag 6, William (Castro) 4, De Ocampo 2, Pingris 2, Chan 0, Fajardo 0
Quarter score: 13-25. 39-44, 61-57, 77-73
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