Kuwait lose to Palestine in FIBA Asia Championship

Hurting after he accidentally rolled his right ankle early in the second quarter, Blatche battled through pain to lead Gilas Pilipinas past Japan, 73-66, in a close and thrilling match at the Changsha Social Work College’s Gymnasium here to notch its third straight win, counting the two victories in the first round. Gilas’ fellow Group B teams – Palestine and Hong Kong – also advance to Group E and will likewise compete with Iran, India and Japan. “Well, we have been preparing for Iran for more than a month”, Baldwin said.

Abueva, for his part, was a pest on the defensive end as he repeatedly stole the ball off Iran’s towering Hamed Haddadi.

Castro continued to be one of coach Tab Baldwin’s most reliable players in the game, finishing with a dozen points and 4 assists but missing all of his three-point attempts.

Japan did well in the final quarter, catching up until 64-64 with two minutes left, but the Philippines veteran Ranidel De Ocampo buried a crucial three pointer to give the South Eastern Asian team a lead of 67-64.

Although India and Philippines had won over their rivals, Iran could grab 6 points to consolidate its top position in the first round of the competitions.

Meanwhile, the top 3 teams from Group C and D also moved on to Group F in the second round.

He said that while he was unhappy with his own team’s performance, it should not take away from the effort that Gilas showed in the contest.

Terrence Romeo (15 points) and Calvin Abueva (13 points) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Philippines.

“We always knew this game was going to be critical to decide how we finish in the rankings as we head into the quarter-final”, he said. The Iranians were largely undone by poor nights from the field from Kamrani (3-of-12) and Oshin Sahakian (0-of-5) and their 16 turnovers, which helped spark Gilas’ comeback. Iran will have a chance to eliminate Palestine on Tuesday. To do that, Gilas must aim to be first or second in Group E after the second round. This batch of National players, called Gilas 3.0, has enough workhorses; players who are willing to sacrifice their bodies and do the dirty laundry, and make their teammates look good.