The Philippine men’s basketball team was manhandled by a physical Lebanon team, 95-80, in the FIBA Asia Cup Wednesday night at the Istora Senayab in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Lebanon outscored Gilas Pilipinas, 33-19, in the third period, as the powerhouse team from the Middle East started to flex its muscle against a Philippine squad which sent a group of young players that are being groomed for next year’s FIBA World Cup.
But for Lebanon, the team came out business as usual and sent its formidable unit led by Wael Arakji, naturalized player Jonathan Alredge and Hayk Gyokchyan.
Arakji was a picture of consistency all game long, finishing with 20 points on top of four assists, a steal and a block.
Alredge, the 6-9 center, added 19 markers on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Gyokchyan also had 19 markers and added eight boards.
Both players were so effective they had a combined efficiency points of +50 combined.
Gilas Pilipinas was led by returning player Ray Parks, who finished with 15 points, the same output produced by Carl Tamayo while Thirdy Ravena contributed 10.
There was one scary moment which happened right before the half time break when Ravena lost his balance in mid-air while challenging an opponent’s attempt and fell hard to the canvas, his face hitting the floor.
He suffered what appeared to be a boxer’s cut as blood flowed while he was taken out on a wheel chair in the second period.
The second generation player returned to action in the third period and finished the game for the Philippines.
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