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Gilas Pilipinas arranges a quarterfinals date against an unpredictable Lebanese squad from the other group after sweeping their last three assignments in Group E. FIBA
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By Dennis Jerome Acosta
CHANGSA--After sweeping Group E in the second round,
Gilas Pilipinas now has the luxury of facing fourth-seeded Lebanon as they
continue their basketball conquest going into the quarterfinals of the 2015 FIBA Asia
Championship.
The Lebanese, who defeated Jordan 80-76 in
Group F, clinched the fourth spot by virtue of a win over the other as both
teams concluded with an identical 2-3 win-loss record.
Lebanon bowed down to South Korea (71-85)
and China (62-75) in their first two assignments.
Meanwhile, Gilas came up with a
demoralizing 99-65 victory against India Tuesday to top their group with a 4-1 win-loss record.
Philippines earlier escaped a fiery
Japanese squad with a 73-66 win on Sunday. The next day, Gilas pulled off an
emotional upset against Asian basketball giant Iran to end a four-year losing
skid, 87-73.
Lebanon was supposed to host the 2013
edition of the FIBA Asia Championship until certain issues within their country
pushed FIBA to award the hosting rights to Manila.
Furthermore, FIBA levied a suspension to Lebanon
in 2013 as well, making it the first in history of the league.
The much awaited knockout quarterfinals will happen on Thursday, Oct. 1.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @dagreatDJ
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