Gilas Pilipinas Basketball

Justin Brownlee proved to be an unstoppable force as Gilas Pilipinas prevailed over mighty Iran, 84-83 in a nerve-racking quarterfinals duel on Tuesday at the Zhejiang University Gymnasium in Hangzhou.

Gilas squandered a 21-point lead but the naturalized forward scored 36 points, none bigger than his baseline jumper with 44 seconds left that gave the Philippines an 84-83 advantage.

The nationals took a 48-36 cushion entering the break before Brownlee continued his exploits as Gilas opened the third frame on a strong note, extending the gap up to 62-41.

However, the West Asian mounted a huge fightback in the fourth quarter, stealing the lead after a triple and two throws by Mohammad Vahedi with 1:33 left.

June Mar Fajardo and Nazir Rezaeifar exchanged baskets afterwards, before Brownlee hit a basket under the final 44 ticks for an 84-83 lead.

Matin Aghajanpour failed to hit a wide-open triple on the other end, before Gilas secured the rebound and milked the clock to hold on for the victory.

Brownlee also finished with eight rebounds and four assists while Fajardo added 18 points and eight boards while shooting 7-of-9 from the field.

Gilas shot 50 percent to Iran’s 44 percent, and had a 46-37 rebounding edge that spelled the difference in the end.

The Philippines will face China in the semifinals after the hosts beat South Korea, 84-70.

Gilas is already assured of its best finish in the Asian Games since 2002 but is seeking a medal for the first time since 1998 when coach Tim Cone’s centennial squad copped the bronze.

The Scores:

Gilas Pilipinas (84) – Brownlee 36, Fajardo 18, Thompson 11, Oftana 7, Perez 6, Kouame 4, Newsome 2, Aguilar 0, Alas 0, Tolentino 0.

Iran (83) – Vahedi 24, Rezaifar 14, Aghajanpour 11, Girgoorian 8, Kazemi 6, Mashayekhi 6, Pazirofteh 2, Gholizadeh 0, Shahrian Nasl 0, Torabi 0.

Quarter scores: 28-22, 48-36, 71-54, 84-83.

Written by Levi Joshua Verora Jr.