Al Rayyan clinches 3rd place in Champions Cup over Gilas

Al Rayyan clinches 3^rd place in Champions Cup over Gilas

by rick olivares

June 5, 2011

Philsports Arena

Smart Gilas Pilipinas crashed out of a bronze medal finish in the 22^nd FIBA Asia Champions Cup following a disappointing 71-64 loss to Al Rayyan Qatar.

Struggling with their outside shot and defensive rebounding, Gilas couldn’t provide sufficient help for Marcus Douthit who for log stretches was the lone national player keeping the team in the fight. Jayvee Casio, guarded well by Al Rayyan counterpart Chauncey Leslie, contributed sporadically. His five-point spree in the waning seconds of the third quarter brought the lead down to four, 50-46, but no matter how close Gilas came, the Qataris always had an answer.

While the Philippines never got going offensively as Al Rayyan drew early scoring from Targuy Ngombo and Michael Cuffee, they stayed within striking distance. Douthit scored 12 points and pulled down 11 rebounds while Japeth Aguilar added eight points mostly of baseline jumpers. And after a tactical substitution in the final seconds of the first half where Mark Barroca drove the length of the court for a buzzer-beating layup, Gilas was down 36-33 and seemingly the momentum in their favor.

But the second half showed a Qatar team unwilling to bend to the Filipinos’ pressure. In one crucial sequence with four minutes gone by, Al Rayyan pulled down four offensive rebounds and one loose ball. The entire offensive set consumed two minutes and resulted in a three-point play by Yasseen Musa off a foul by Aguilar. The 6’11” Gilas forward went to bench in favor of the smaller Mac Baracael.

Gilas muffed their next attempt and forward Omer Salem hit a set shot trey for a 48-39 Al Rayyan lead.

The nationals came charging back, 50-48, after Douthit dunked on Musa. Al Rayyan countered by pounding the ball inside where they produced 10 points.  

Qatar owned a 20-8 advantage on the offensive glass which they converted into 10 points.

While Gilas was able to pull some stops on the defensive end, making baskets was another story. In the last two minutes of the match, Al Rayyan equalized the Filipinos’ output of seven points to maintain their earlier seven-point lead.

Qatar won the battle for third place, 71-64, and left Gilas searching for answers as they look forward to the coming William Jones Cup.

“We couldn’t find our rhythm,” lamented a disappointed Rajko Toroman after the match. “We had our chances but if you shoot like that (23-65 and a 35% field goal percentage)… In all our tournaments, we have shot very well. It was unusual this kind of shooting (today).” Smart Gilas scored only 64 points, its lowest output of the tournament.

Douthit who finished with a game high 28 points and 17 rebounds couldn’t hide his dismay. “They (Qatar) were tough on the boards. They attacked and attacked. We came out flat while they wanted it more.”

Qatar head coach Brian Rowsom said his team’s game plan hinged on stopping Gilas’ outside shooting. “The three-point shot is a part of their game. We made it difficult for them and we made sure we got the rebounds.”

Smart Gilas finished fourth, its best showing in three years of participation in the Champions Cup.

Summed up Douthit, “We made strides in this tournament. But we sure did miss a lot of opportunities.”

Al Rayyan Qatar 71 – Leslie 19, Ngombo 18, Musa 11, Cuffee 9, Saeed 5, Ali 4, Salem 4, Ndour 1, Abdulla 0.

Smart Gilas Pilipinas 64 – Douthit 28, Casio 10, Aguilar 8, Lassiter 7, Baracael 5, Barroca 2, Tiu 2, Lutz 2, Taulava 0, Hontiveros 0.