The 5th FIBA Asia Cup takes place in the Wuhan, China from July 11-19, 2014.
Ranidel De Ocampo nailed the game-winning three-pointer with 35.2 seconds left for a thrilling 71-70 victory over Jordan in the FIBA Asia Cup on Tuesday in Wuhan, China.
The victory gave the Philippines the top seed in Group B after sweeping the preliminary round. Gilas earlier booked victories over Chinese Taipei and Singapore.
Lee led Gilas with 16 points, marking his third straight game as the leading scorer for the Philippines in his international debut. De Ocampo added 14 points while Douthit chipped in 13.
With the win, the Philippines moves into the knockout phase against India, the fourth seed in Group A. But Gilas could not afford to take the Indians lightly, because they own a victory over perennial Asian powerhouse China earlier in the competition.
It took a hard fight against Jordan for the Philippines to finally come away with the top seed. Gilas was still down 60-57 midway through the fourth quarter before Rain or Shine star Paul Lee nailed a three-pointer to spark a 9-2 run to put the Philippines up, 66-62, with 3:10 remaining.
Naturalized star Rasheim Wright responded with a basket and-one to put Jordan within one, 66-65. De Ocampo responded with a basket at the 2:16 mark to give Gilas more breathing room, 68-65.
After split free throws from Ahmad Alhamarsheh, Jordan foiled a Marcus Douthit attempt. That allowed Jordan, under former Philippine coach Rajko Toroman, to set Wright up for an equalizer, 68-all, with 51 seconds left.
But Gilas coach Chot Reyes had one more bullet in his arsenal, setting up De Ocampo's winning three.
Jordan had a chance to tie the match with a three-pointer, but Jared Dillinger sent Wright to the free throw line. The stocky guard managed to make both, cutting the Gilas lead to a hairline, 71-70, with 32 seconds remaining.
Gilas could not put the game away, however, as LA Tenorio missed a shot with 15 seconds. The Filipinos had to watch as a final three-point attempt from veteran point guard Wesam Al-Sous failed to hit the mark, allowing Gilas to escape.
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