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| Amr Zarhan towers over Chris Newsome in this layup attempt. Qatar Basketball Federation |
MANILA--After Lebanon escaped with a 72-69 win against Qatar earlier in the wee hours of Monday (Philippine Time) to capture second place, Gilas Pilipinas needed to win by 31 points against Egypt to end the Doha International Cup as the de facto champion.
The final game of the pocket tournament ended in exactly the opposite way.
Egypt completed domination of the pre-continental cup qualifier event by beating Gilas by 31, 86-55, at the QU Sports and Events Center in Doha.
Gilas, though, looked poised to go for the blowout early on as they started the game on an 8-2 run.
However, Egypt got their offensive groove slowly, and eventually, they went on a 21-9 second quarter to take a 39-28 halftime lead.
Gilas tried to keep in step with Egypt in the third quarter, but the latter went on a 29-10 fourth quarter to deliver the knockout.
Ehab Saleh led 3-0 Egypt, the lone African team in the event, with 20 points on 4-of-8 shooting from long range, six rebounds, eight assists, and two steals off the bench.
Amr Zahran added 12 points on 5-for-8 field goals, one rebound, and one steal also as a substitute.
Justin Brownlee led Gilas, which settled for third place with a 1-2 record, with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting, five rebounds, and one assist.
No local joined Brownlee with 10 points or more.
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