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February 15, 2025 | 10:29am
Gilas Pilipinas' Dwight Ramos (24) shoots a jumper during the Philippines' clash with Qatar early Saturday morning in Doha.
(Instagram / Qatar Basketball Federation)
MANILA, Philippines -- Gilas Pilipinas stormed back from 11 points down and squeaked past Qatar, 74-71, in the 2nd Doha Invitational Cup early Saturday morning (Manila time).
Gilas, which could not stop Qatar in the third quarter, flipped the script in the fourth and held on against the hometown bets.
Dwight Ramos spearheaded the Philippines with 15 points, while June Mar Fajardo had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson finished with 10 apiece.
A split from the line by Omar Saad pushed Qatar’s lead to 11, 60-49, late in the third quarter.
While Gilas tried to slowly nip away the lead, the home team was able to keep their distance early on in the fourth, going up by eight, 66-58, after a jumper by Ndoye Seydou with 7:48 remaining.
But the Philippines heated up in just the right time, unleashing seven straight points capped by a rim-rocking AJ Edu slam to make it a one-point deficit, 65-66, with 4:30 left.
However, Mike Lewis hit a 3-pointer off the bounce to keep the Qataris at bay, 69-65.
The Nationals, though, were already hot, grabbing the lead for good with a Brownlee dunk to go up by one, 70-69, with 2:21 to go.
A short stab by Ramos made it a 72-69 advantage for the Philippines with 1:42 remaining.
And with 20 seconds left in the ballgame, a goaltend by Edu gave Qatar a basket, cutting Gilas’ lead to one, 71-72. But Tyler Harris missed the game-tying free throw, with the ball going to the Philippines’ side.
A pair of free throws by Thompson iced the game with 16.7 seconds left, setting the final score, as Lewis’s game-tying attempt rattled out.
Kevin Quiambao had seven markers, while Edu and CJ Perez had six apiece for Gilas.
Harris carried the load for Qatar with 17, while Lewis had 15.
The Philippines will have a quick turnaround as they face Lebanon late Saturday night (Manila time).
The pocket tournament is part of the Philippines’ preparations for the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers set next week.
