LEBANON went on a fourth quarter tear to deal Gilas Pilipinas a 75-54 beating in the 2nd Doha Invitational Cup early Sunday (Manila time) at the Qatar University Sports and Events Complex.
The quartet of Jad Khalil, James Majok, Gerard Hadidian, and Karim Zeinoun outgunned the Filipinos in a blistering 14-2 run in the first five minutes of the final period to pull away for good from a hotly-contested match, 65-50.
Gilas was within 51-50 on a follow up basket by AJ Edu when the Cedars made their move and put on the telling separation from which the Philippines never recovered.
Lebanon outscored Gilas for the entire fourth, 24-6.
The loss put to naught the sizzling 21-point effort of Justine Brownlee, who also added 11 rebounds for Gilas.
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But even the veteran naturalized player went iced-cold during that crucial fourth quarter stretch that led to Gilas absorbing its first loss in the three-game friendly meet that comes to a close early Monday (Manila time).
The Filipinos won their debut match against Qatar, 74-71, where they rallied back from an 11-point deficit late in the third.
Calvin Oftana was the only local to finish in double figures for Gilas with 10, while Scottie Thompson also tallied a team-high 11 boards on top of seven points.
Khalil led the Cedars with 18 points spiked by a 3-of-7 shooting from downtown, Hadidian also had 18 and eight rebounds, while Majok and Zeinoun combined for 25 points and 16 rebounds.
Lebanon, playing without top players Wael Arakji and Omari Spellman, bounced back from an 82-70 loss to Egypt on opening night and evened its record at 1-1. (RG)
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The scores:
Lebanon (75) - Hadidian 18, Khalil 18, Zeinoun 13, Majok 12, Mezher 8, Rtail 4, Makhlouf 2, Khoueiry 0, Samaha 0, Moussa 0.
Philippines (54) - Brownlee 21, Oftana 10, Thompson 7, Edu 6, Ramos 5, Fajardo 2, Newsome 1, Quiambao 1, Perez 1, Tamayo 0, Amos 0, Malonzo 0.
Quarterscores: 13-12, 26-28, 51-48, 75-54.
