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| Gerard Hadidian is all clear for the dunk. Qatar Basketball Federation |
MANILA--Lebanon caught Gilas on an off night early Sunday (Philippine Time) and flushed them out with a 75-54 rout in the Doha International Cup at the QU Sports and Events Center in the Qatari capital.
Although they too started the game cold, the Lebanese side, which did not field in Wael Arakji and Omari Spellman for the friendly tournament, turned to its defense to keep Gilas from pulling away.
Down 40-46 with three minutes left in the third quarter, Lebanon ended the period on an 11-2 run to take a 51-48 lead before going on a 24-6 fourth frame to pull away for good.
Overall, Lebanon limited Gilas to only 30 percent shooting including a dismal 4-for-26 from long range while forcing 19 turnovers.
Gerard Hadidian and Jad Khalil each scored 18 points for Lebanon, which bounced back from its opening day loss to Egypt.
Justin Brownlee put up 21 points, 11 rebounds, and one assist for Gilas, which failed to follow up on its come-from-behind win against host team Qatar and fell to a tie with its tormentor at 1-1.
Gilas will cap its campaign in the four-nation event against Egypt, which will play Qatar later Sunday, early Monday (Philippine Time).
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