Gilas puts up another gallant stand in loss to powerhouse Argentina

Marc Pingris eludes Croatian standout Bojan Bogdanovic (left) for a followup of a miss by Gabe Norwood (right) during Saturday’s audacious losing stand by Gilas Pilipinas in Seville, Spain. FIBA.COM

In yet another stunning display of tenacity and heart that has become synonymous with the country’s showing in the Fiba Basketball World Cup, Gilas Pilipinas took the world’s third-ranked squad Argentina to the hilt before falling, 81-85, in an intense Group B encounter on early Monday morning at the City Arena in Seville, Spain.

Down on their luck but never on pride, the Filipinos surprised the Argentineans with a scintillating start that saw Jayson Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo pierce the defense with triples to build leads that went as high as 10. But the South American powerhouse eventually imposed their skill and might and led by 15 in the third period before eventually escaping with the victory, thanks to three clutch free-throws from former NBA bruiser Andres Nocioni.

Indiana Pacer forward Luis Scola led Argentina with 19 points while Marcos Mata added 17 including two huge three-pointers in the fourth that kept the Gilas at bay.

De Ocampo scored 18 for the Gilas while team captain Jimmy Alapag added 15, all off three-pointers that fueled the Gilas rally from 10 points down in the final frame. A hobbled Andray Blatche still finished with a double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Still, the Gilas held their heads high with a performance that had Filipinos all over the world beaming with pride.

They threw the gauntlet down early and often in the first half but none harder than when Gabe Norwood soared high and threw down a breathtaking slam-dunk over the outstretched arms of Scola in what is expected to be an unforgettable moment for Philippine basketball.

A triple by de Ocampo pushed the Gilas’ lead to 10, 32-22, but Argentina responded with its own searing run to move ahead at halftime, 43-38.

Argentina led by as many as 15 points but Gilas trimmed it to 10, 61-71, heading to the fourth.

There, Alapag, easily the smallest man in this tournament, played like the “Mighty Mouse” of old and peppered Argentina’s perimeter defense with one triple after another, the last one from way out pulling the Gilas to within one, 81-82, 2:08 to go. But Nocioni, a player known for his hustle and guile, grabbed an offensive rebound, got fouled and split his charities for an 83-81 lead.

The Gilas had a chance to tie or win the game but Castro had his three-point attempt blocked and was subsequently called for a travelling violation. Nocioni sealed the win for Argentina with two free throws with six seconds to go.

The Filipinos look to finally taste a win against Puerto Rico in a battle of winless teams tonight. Gilas will end the group stage with a match against the surprising Senegal tomorrow.

Meanwhile,  Spain and Greece are headed to the round of 16, and Senegal is in position to join them after shaking up Group B with an upset Monday.

The Spanish earned a trip to their capital by routing Brazil in a battle of unbeatens to take the lead in Group A, while Greece clinched the first spot in Madrid by improving to 3-0 earlier in the day.

Pau Gasol had 26 points and nine rebounds for Spain in its 82-63 victory over Brazil in Granada. The hosts had already routed Iran and Egypt by a combined 67 points, but have difficult first-round games remaining against France and Serbia following Tuesday’s rest day.

Greece matched Spain for the overall best record by beating Puerto Rico 90-79 in Seville, and has won each of its games by double digits. The Greeks, who needed a wild card into the tournament, will next face a Croatia team that was stunned, 77-75, by Senegal last Sunday.

That dropped the Croatians (2-1) into a three-way tie for second with Argentina and the Senegal.