Gilas posts best Champions Cup start with win over Duhok

Gilas posts best Champions Cup start with win over Duhok

by rick olivares pics by brosi g.

May 31, 2011

Philsports Arena

Smart Gilas Pilipinas fashioned out a gritty 74-64 win over Duhok Iraq in the main game of yesterday’s FIBA Asia Champions Challenge Cup for it’s third straight win in the tournament.

After CJ Giles drilled a jumper for Duhok to put the Persian Gulf team behind by a deuce 55-53, Gilas’ Mac Baracael and Chris Lutz hit four free throws to give the home team some breathing room to end 30 minutes of play.

The national side struggled offensively all match long for a 40% field goal percentage. In the payoff period, another Gilas duo -- Chris Tiu and Mark Barroca – provided badly needed scoring sock for their best ever start in the competition.

The first time Smart Gilas played Duhok in last year’s Champions Cup, the Filipinos squeaked past the Persian Gulf team 76-74. The last time they faced former Giles, the former Los Angeles Laker draftee, was also in the quarterfinals of that same 2010 FIBA Asia tournament where he suited up for Al Riyadi Lebanon. Giles, in his best game of the tournament scored 29 points to lead all scorers and included some highlight reel slams. The Lebanese team, with a wholly different lineup save for power forward Ismail Ahmad who has since become a much better player, pipped the Philippines 79-76 to advance to the next round.

Duhok, after winning the first Iraq Basketball Cup after the tournament was suspended for seven years owing to the war, brought in Giles to reinforce them for the FIBA tournament in Manila.

After two close loses, 74-66 to ASU Jordan and 83-75 to Al Ittihad Saudi Arabia, Duhok, conducted a team meeting where the players spoke out on the issues that plagued their first two matches. “It was our chemistry problems,” said head coach Salih Khattab through an interpreter.

“We needed to move the ball around and get people involved,” expounded Giles. “We’d work hard for a stop then someone would just shoot it without even passing or waiting for a rebounder to get into place.”

“It’s all good,” tersely quipped Quttaiba Al Doori, the team’s star forward.

That “bull session” worked and they played their finest ball against Westsports Kuala Lumpur Dragons Malaysia whom they beat 88-76. In their first two matches, Duhok averaged 9.5 assists. Against Malaysia, they dished off 21 dimes.

Against the home team, their tough defense, terrific hustle from former St. John’s University Red Storm guard Chudnay Earl Gray, and presence of Giles inside the paint made it difficult for Gilas to get their game going.

Even as Gilas took a 21-17 first quarter lead behind Marcus Douthit’s inside game and Chris Tiu’s quarterbacking, they had a tough time against the Iraqis’ bruising defense. That forced Gilas head coach Rajko Toroman to shuffle his players in an attempt to find the right combination to counter Iraq. The Serbian mentor sent in 10 players while Khattab, not having much of a bench, relied on only six players.

Giles, had a monster game with 20 points and 23 rebounds while Al Doori, struggled against the defense on him for 9 points on 3-9 shooting and 2-6 free throws. Even worse, shooting guard Ali Hamad had only one point.

“I’ve played with them and against them,” said Giles afterwards. “They’re good. They come at you in waves.”

And true enough, Gilas showed its depth when the bench came in to increase the lead at the half time break, 47-35, behind Mark Barroca, Chris Lutz, Asi Taulava, and Dondon Hontiveros. The reserves added 36 points while Duhok could only count on forward Rahman Agha for support as he chipped in 7 points.

Tiu compiled 11 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists while Douthit scored 14 and Barroca 12.

“We struggled offensively but we battled defensively,” said Toroman after the match. “That’s how we got our points.” The Philippines finished with 18 assists to the 6 of Iraq.

Smart Gilas clashes with co-Group A leader Jordan (3-0) which will be led by Sam Daghles and former PBA import Jameel Watkins in the main match at 8pm.

Notes: CJ Giles is playing in his third straight FIBA Asia Champions Cup with a third different team – Smart Gilas, Al Riyadi, and Duhok. On the other hand, Smart Gilas is parading its third reinforcement in the last three years – Giles, Milan Vucicevic, and now Marcus Douthit. And continuing the three-streak theme, the Philippine crowd booed Quttaiba Al Doori after mooning the crowd and jawing with Dondon Hontiveros. Previously, it was Saudi Arabia’s Ali Almaghrabi and Malaysia’s Marcus Morrison who drew the ire of the crowd for rough play.


Smart Gilas 74 - Douthit 14, Barroca 12, Tiu 11, Lutz 8, Hontiveros 8, Casio 7, Baracael 6, Lassiter 4, Aguilar 2, Taulava 2.


Duhok 64 - Giles 20, Gray 17, Al Doori 9, Agha 7, Mahdi 5, Gorgiss 5,  Hamad 1.