Nail-biter win over Iran
Gilas Pilipinas are back in the Asian Games men’s basketball semifinals after two decades!
The Philippines had themselves a cakewalk on Monday against Qatar to secure their spot in the quarterfinals of the Asian Games.
The Philippines suffered a humbling defeat against Jordan, led by former NBA player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. With that win, Jordan sealed the top spot in Group C, which gives them automatic qualification to the quarterfinals. In the Asian Games, teams that top their respective groups directly reach the quarterfinals, with runners-up and third-placed teams playing in the last round of 12 to join the final eight.
Gilas, on the other hand, need to get a win against Qatar to advance to the quarterfinals.
Gilas were scorching off the gates against Qatar. They swiftly and surgically dissected Qatar’s defence as they boasted a 19-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Tim Cone and his squad kept the foot on the pedal and blazed to an 80-41 victory.
The Philippine players bounced back from their loss to Jordan, as five Gilas players racked up double-digits, and a total of 10 players scored for the Philippines side. To add icing on the cake, head coach Tim Cone was able to lessen the load for key players as they get ready to face their Asian rivals, Iran.
Iran and the Philippines have a long history of skirmishes on the court. They had gone head-to-head in the FIBA Asia Cup, the William Jones Cup, the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, and the Asian Games, so this knockout game will serve as a great addition to the already rich basketball lore between these two nations.
The game started out smoothly for the Philippines side, a do-it-all forward Justin Brownlee exploded with 16 points in the first, which helped give the Philippines a six-point lead to end the first quarter.
Tim Cone’s squad was cruising for the most part of the game and even led by as much as 21 points in the third quarter. But to start the fourth quarter, Iran made a convincing comeback. The Iranian squad rallied and went on a 22-7 run, which significantly shaved the Philippines’ lead.
It was evident that the Philippines were crumbling, and it looked like they had let the game slip away as Iran took a one-point lead with a minute and a half left on the clock.
Veteran big man June Mar Fajardo took it upon himself to stay composed and gave the Gilas the lead back with a smooth floater after getting the offensive board over a poorly positioned Iran player.
Iran answered right back to regain the lead, but it was good ol’ Justin Brownlee who saved the day for the Philippine side. He went deep in his bag, drove hard to his left, and rose up for a beautiful baseline jumper to secure the win for the Philippines.
Brownlee, who was strategically rested during their last game, went off and erupted for 36 points, eight rebounds, and four assists to give the Philippines their first semifinal berth in two decades.
China remain undefeated
China matched up against South Korea in the final eight. China championed Group B as they remain undefeated in the preliminary rounds, which gave them an automatic spot in the quarterfinals.
The eight-time tournament champions are looking to bounce back after an unfruitful FIBA World Cup campaign. True enough, they have been dominating in the Asian Games. China averages the most points per game in the Asian Games with 90.7, a whopping 59.9 true shooting percentage, and a 59.9 efficient field goal percentage.
Meanwhile, South Korea finished second in Group D. They lost their last preliminary game against Japan, which could’ve sent them to the quarterfinals. Instead, they met with a tenacious Bahrain squad for a spot in the final eight.
The Korean squad breezed past Bahrain on Monday to secure their spot in the quarterfinals. South Korea remain undefeated against Bahrain, as the last time these two squads met was in the 2013 and 2022 FIBA Asia Cup, where South Korea won 96-51 in 2013 and 78-73 in 2022.
Even though South Korea have played valiantly up to this point, they were no match for defending champions China. It was a one-sided competition all throughout and was pretty much China’s win for the taking after being up by 20 points at halftime.
The 2018 bronze-medallists South Korea won’t be able to defend their title, and with their relatively early exit in the tournament, the Asian Games 2023 betting odds will surely be shaken up.
With this win, China will continue their title defence against the Philippines in the semifinals.
So make sure to stay in the loop for more Asian Games 2023 updates here at SBOTOP to find out who the next teams are to advance to the Asiad men’s basketball semifinals!
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