Smart Gilas Pilipinas climbed back from a 14-point
third-quarter deficit to nip the United States, 76-75, and capture the
34th William Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan.
LA Tenorio, the
littlest guy on the floor, buried a 19-foot jumper with 19.1 seconds
left that proved to be the go-ahead basket as the Americans failed to
convert on their last possession and were forced to foul with nine
seconds left. Gilas was able to dribble away much of the clock before
the USA fouled Jeff Chan with 1.9 seconds to go.
The
sweet-shooting Chan missed the first free throw and then intentionally
missed the second, but Marcus Douthit tapped the ball out to give the
Americans one last chance with nine-tenths of a second left. With no
timeouts remaining, the US was forced to throw a length-of-the-court
pass with their final shot clanging off the rim to give the Filipinos
the crown.
Smart Gilas finished the round-robin tournament with a 7-1 record to
capture the title, the first for a Philippine team since 1998 and fourth
overall in the tournament’s 34-year history.
Tenorio came up big in the fourth period, helping fuel a 10-0 run
that enabled the Filipinos to grab their first lead of the second half
at 61-59. Then with 50 seconds left, the Alaska Aces court general spun
in the lane and sank a tough floater that pushed Gilas ahead, 74-73. A
breakdown in defense allowed Jermaine Dearman to score unmolested under
the basket with 34 seconds to go, but after a Gilas timeout, Tenorio
used a Douthit screen to bury the winning shot.
