SWEET REVENGE FOR GILAS-PILIPINAS ON THE KOREANS AND THE WORLD CUP ENTRY
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 11 Aug 2013
Gilas-Pilipinas team captain Jimmy Alapag delivered the insurance three-pointers in the final quarter that assured the Philippines of a victory against South Korea, 86-79 last night during the 27th FIBA Asia Championships at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The big win guaranteed the Philippines of a slot at the FIBA World Cup 2014 in Spain.
It was sweet revenge for the Philippines who were frustrated several times by South Korea for years in many Asian tournaments. And the curse just ended last night when we won over Korea in a major tournament for the first time since 1986.
Marcus Douthit went out of the game limping in the second quarter with his right calf injury never to return to the game. Marc Pingris took over the role of a big man putting in 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.
Gilas tasted the lead 13-10 in the first quarter. They regained the lead in the third quarter, 40-39, behind the scoring of Jayson William.
Pilipinas led by nine, 65-56, entering into the fourth quarter. But the Koreans grabbed the driver's seat with less than four minutes to go. From then on it was a see-saw affair for both teams.
Ranidel De Ocampo and Alapag saved the Philippines from another imminent frustrating defeat by pouring in the clutch baskets when the Koreans diffused the double-digit Gilas lead in the last stanza of the crucial game.
Alapag had 14 points, and he made the baskets when it was needed most. De Ocampo also delivered five points to give the Philippines the advantage when it seemed the Koreans were out to disappoint us again.
?To tell you the truth, up to now I don?t know how we did it. We just kept fighting,? said Gilas coach Chot Reyes as quoted by interAKTV. ?They had to carry us out of that court.?
Reyes and most of the players were in tears when the final buzzer sounded signaling the entry of the Philippines to the world championships. The last time the country joined the world tournament was when it was held in Manila in 1978.
Gilas Pilipinas will face undefeated Iran tonight in the finals to try to win the crown. The big fighting heart and the wild cheers of the jampacked crowd will again motivate our boys for the title.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
By Dong Secuya, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
Mon, 15 Sep 202521-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
By Carlos Costa, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
By Carlos Costa, Sun, 14 Sep 2025A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
Sun, 14 Sep 2025Battle of Undefeated: Callum Walsh Vanquishes Fernando Vargas Jr.
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Undercard Inferno: Mbilli and Martinez Deliver a Super Middleweight War Ending in a Thrilling Draw
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Crawford to defy odds?
By Joaquin Henson, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Sun, 14 Sep 2025