 |
| Kai Sotto triumphed in his Gilas return. LA Arcin |
PASAY—Kevin Quiambao delivered the shot that mattered the most for Gilas Pilipinas, while Kai Sotto sealed a triumphant comeback with a buzzer-beating defensive gem that preserved an 82-81 overtime win against Jordan in a pivotal FIBA World Cup Qualifiers game on Friday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Quiambao converted a go-ahead pick-and-pop three with 11.7 seconds left that broke a 79-all tie that put the Gilas fans on their feet.
Jordan still provided a scare as Freddy Ibrahim made two free throws off CJ Perez's final foul and Scottie Thompson was called for a five-second inbound violation, giving the designated home team 9.7 seconds to find the game-winner.
However, Sotto, in his first game in a Gilas uniform since 2024, swatted away Abdullah Olajuwon's layup attempt, and Quiambao came in just in time to prevent Amin Abu Hawwas from attempting a buzzer-beating three.
Sotto led Gilas, now in fifth place in Group E at 3-4, with 18 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal.
CJ Perez scored all of his 16 points in the second half plus five rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Ibrahim led Jordan, which fell to a three-way tie with Iran and New Zealand at 5-2, with 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting including 4 of 6 on threes, four rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
New Zealand plays Syria, Iran battles Australia, and Gilas takes on Iran on Sunday to wrap up their fourth window campaign.
