(Eagle News) — Gilas Pilipinas took home the bacon on Friday night, crushing the Iraqi team with double digits, and getting a free pass to the quarterfinals.
The Philippine team was off to a rough start, though, lagging behind the Iraqi team during most of the first quarter.
The national team picked up their game slightly in the first part of the second quarter, but led the Iraqi team by only single digits.
It was Christian Standhardinger who stepped up in the third quarter, making big shots, even with the tall Iraqis hounding him.
Terrence Romeo stepped up his game after returning from the bench, with a steal and a basket.
It was downhill from there for the Iraqis, who ended up finishing the third quarter a whopping 20 points behind Gilas.
The panicking Iraqis could not do much in the first part of the fourth quarter, but picked up their game slightly in the second part.
But the Gilas lead was too much to overcome, and the white-shirt boys kept their game, ending the match 16 points ahead of the Iraqi national team.
With the win over the Iraqis, Gilas keep their unblemished record–2-0– in the prestigious Asian tournament, making them the leader in their bracket and an automatic quarterfinalist.
The final score: 84-68.