Smart Gilas enters the FIBA Asia Champions Cup semis

Marcus Douthit

MANILA, Philippines (22nd FIBA Asia Champions Cup): Smart Gilas became the first team to break into the WABA-Gulf hegemony of top-four finishes in the last four FIBA Asia Champions Cup with a resurgent 85-80 triumph against Syria’s Al Jala’a on Friday.



The last time any team outside of Gulf-WABA subzones of FIBA Asia played in the semifinals was when Smart Gilas’ compatriots – San Miguel – made the last four at the Tehran edition of the Champions Cup in 2007. Incidentally, again, the Filipino outfit had lost to Al Jala’a in the semifinals on that occasion.
Smart Gilas will now match wits with twice defending champions of Mahram of Iran in the semifinals, who earlier in the day stamped their authority in their 102-65 defeat of against Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad.

The other semifinal will feature Lebanese giants Al Riyadi Beirut who ran their fellow WABA rivals Duhok of Iraq roughshod in their 106-80 win against last year’s runners-up Al Rayyan who completed the semifinal line-up beating Jordanian champions Applied Science University 83-77.

Gilas fight back

Samaki Walker’s 8-point contribution set Jala’a on a 13-0 run early in the second quarter – Micheal Madanly had put them ahead at the end of the first quarter – which kept the crowd silent.

But that 15-point lead – the highest any team had in the game – as well as the dominance proved – as the crowd prayed for – to be momentary.

Smart Gilas pounced back with a 14-6 run over the next five minutes and kept themselves in the reckoning.

Chris Tiu fired in a three-pointer to put Smart Gilas on par for the first time after the jumpball and JP Aguilar’s three-point play gave them their first lead.

Joe Casio’s sizzler from the perimeter furthered the lead and Smart Gilas never trailed thence.

“Our position 4 and 5 were almost non-existent. Marcus (Douthit) or JP (Aguilar) we just let them (Jala’a) have to way too easy,” Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman said of the early deficit.

SATURDAY’S SEMIFINAL SCHEDULE

1800: Mahram (IRI) Vs. Smart Gilas (PHI)

2000: Al Riyadi (LIB) Vs. Al Rayyan (QAT)

Note: All Times Manila Local (GMT +0800)