China escapes great fall
JAKARTA – It was 72 heartbeats away to victory.
A scrappy Philippine team came within seconds from pulling off a monumental upset of powerhouse China but sagged and collapsed at the pulsating finish and the Chinese escaped with an 82-80 decision in their crucial Group D play of the 18th Asian Games men’s basketball competition at the GBK Basketball Hall here yesterday.
The gutsy Nationals rammed into China’s Great Wall built around Zhou Qi to trail by 12 points in the first quarter but methodically chipped away brick by brick behind Fil-Am and NBA star Jordan Clarkson to seize initiative at 80-77 with 1:34 left in the contest amid the roar of Filipino supporters in the stand.
Stanley Pringle who provided crucial points together with Fil-German Christian Standhardinger as Clarkson hobbled with leg cramps and committed a costly turnover that turned it around for China to snare the thriller.
That sent the Philippines to a tough showdown with South Korea in the knockout quarterfinals Monday. But with the way the ragtag team with only a week of buildup came within a heartbeat of a win over China, the Filipinos have gained some measure of confidence to overcome the best in the Games.
It was a make-or-break three-point attempt from Paul Lee right in front of the Team Phl bench that went straight to the mark but proved a bit strong to the chagrin of the Filipinos but to the delight of the stunned Chinese side.
The Nationals will now take a six-day break and will face the top qualifier from Group A in the knockout quarters. It would likely be South Korea in what could well be another tough, exciting face off of fierce regional rivals.
A sell-out crowd stood as witness as the Filipinos pushed the Chinese to the limit even with all Gilas’ limitations, including just four days of practice with Clarkson.
“I can’t ask for more from this team. It was a gallant stand. I don’t consider it as a loss,” said national coach Yeng Guiao on their tremendous challenge against the Chinese with their seven-footers and stocky, well-built guards and wing men.
Clarkson ran a show with 5-of-13 three-pointers and a game-high total of 28 points that went with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals against two turnovers in 33 minutes of action.
But he suffered cramps that forced him out of the match in the stretch and was dragging his right foot in playing the final minute of the game.
He missed his last attempt from the right quartercourt and, after a crucial error by Pringle, gave up a foul that sent Zhao Rui to the line for the go-ahead charities.
“Too bad, he cramped up in the last two minutes. But you can see the fight in him. With the way he played, it speaks a lot of his intelligence,” said Guiao.
Zhou, the 7-foot-2 Chinese center who is under contract with the Houston Rockets in the NBA, had his own show, knocking down four three-pointers in his 25-point game also marked by 12 rebounds and seven blocks.
The tall Chinese team dominated the paint but the Nationals got into the battle with their 11-of-34 three-point shooting and the bold and daring inside incursions of Pringle and Standhardinger.
From an early 12-point deficit at 15-27, the Nationals put up a tough effort to surge ahead at 76-74 entering the last three minutes of the game.
At 78-75, Gilas could have even made it a five-point game entering the final minute but Poy Erram missed a shot underneath the basket to the disappointment of the Philippine crowd.
Three straight charities by Zhou and Zhao in the ensuing plays had the Chinese tying the count at 80 with time down to 44 seconds.
After Gilas fell behind by two at 80-82, Lee was 2-of-6 from beyond the arc when he took matters into his own hands with his make-of-break three-point attempt that missed.
“We’re moving on and we’ll forget this game. We take a rest and prepare for the next game,” said Erram, the Blackwater young center who’s useful as a center option here, making six points on 2-of-3 triples.
The scores:
China 82 – Zhou 25, Wang 13, Abudurexiti 12, Zhao 11, Ding 7, Sun 6, Liu 5, Fang 2, Dong 1.
Philippines 80 – Clarkson 28, Standhardinger 18, Pringle 14, Lee 10, Erram 6, Almazan 2, Belga 2, Norwood 0, Ahanmisi 0, Yap 0, Taulava 0.
Quarterscores: 20-12, 36-31, 59-57, 82-80