Andray Blatche of the Philippines reacts after a play in a game against Puerto Rico in Seville, Spain. (FIBA.COM)
Pint-sized, pitbull guard Jose Juan Barea personally checked in the Philippine national men’s basketball squad into heartbreak hotel and ultimately out of contention in the Fiba basketball World Cup as he scored 10 of Puerto Rico’s last 12 points to lift his team to a pulsating 77-73 victory in Group B action last night in Seville, Spain.
Barea, a former NBA champion who now plays with the Minnesota Timberwolves, was simply in a class of his own in crunch time as he swished a pull-up three-pointer in transition to tie the game at 70-all before putting Puerto Rico ahead with a gutsy drive, evading the defense of LA Tenorio and scoring a high-looping layup over the outstretched arms of Ranidel de Ocampo for a 72-70 lead, 51.8 seconds remaining.
Then, after futile Gilas offensives that saw misses from rainbow country by de Ocampo and Tenorio, Barea added three more freethrows to push Puerto Rico’s lead up to five, 75-70.
The Gilas’ last glimmer of hope came from skipper Jimmy Alapag who swished three from the charity stripe after he was fouled while shooting a corner trey.
But Ricky Sanchez sealed Puerto Rico’s first win in the tournament with two freethrow makes and send the Philippines to their fourth crushing defeat.
Barea finished the game with 30 points while David Huertas and Sanchez added 13 markers apiece for Puerto Rico, which improved to 1-3.
For yet another time, the Gilas stood on the precipice of a historic victory in this prestigious tournament as it led by as many as 14 points in the first half.
With equal parts exuberance and accurate shotmaking, the Gilas could do no wrong and peppered Puerto Rico’s porous defense with jumpers and lay-ups from naturalized player Andray Blatche and LA Tenorio, culminating in a 16-0 run that gave them a 27-13 lead.
But Puerto Rico, the 17th-ranked team in the world, slowly made its way back into the game, pulling to within five, 39-44, at halftime before finally asserting themselves in the third canto with a late 9-0 run capped by a tip-in by Jorge Diaz and a three pointer by Carlos Rivera for a 61-57 lead.
But the Gilas were far from being done. A Tenorio triple from the corner gave the Philippines back the lead, 67-65, before a nifty layup off a hesitation move by Barea tied the count at 67-all.
Blatche then converted a three-pointer from the right wing with time running out on their shotclock to give the Gilas its last taste of the lead, 70-67, 3:34 left, setting the stage for Barea’s heroics.
Blatche had 25 for the Gilas, which finishes its stint in the Fiba World Cup with a tiff against Senegal today.
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