By Ryann Yap

PHOTO: PBA

Joseph Eriobu swished a clutch kill shot, with a classic Lebron James-style celebration for the Gilas Men's 3x3 against Jordan.

With less than two minutes remaining, the 30-year-old forward squared up from beyond the arc to break the tie and secure the dub for Gilas, 21-19, at the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifying Draw C in Singapore on Thursday (PH time). 

Gilas held a three-point cushion for the most of the closing minutes, but Jordan came up close and tied at 18 apiece thanks to a late-game run led by Caden Alnajdawi's post-up dominance.

Samboy De Leon answered back with a quick floater to regain the lead for Gilas around 1:52, however, Ahmad Hassooneh saw a clear path to the rim after a nice pump fake to tie the game at 19-all.

Then, Eriobu went to save the day.

Eriobu finished with six points, including the deuce that decided the game, while his comrade Almond Vosotros scored 11 from five hits from the rainbow country, enough to end any comeback potential for Jordan. 

With 4:34 left, Jordan trimmed the deficit down to a point as Alnajdawi did some bully ball work in the painted area including an and-1 play, 12-11.

Vosotros replied with a back-to-back release from downtown to extend Gilas’ advantage to five points, 16-11, with 4:03 ticking on the clock.

Gilas sat in a comfortable four point cushion, 18-14, but Hassooneh drained a quick deuce around 2:50, followed by two close range baskets by Alnajdawi to give Jordan a golden chance for an upset.  

Alnajdawi listed 10 points as Jordan’s leading scorer, supported by Hassooneh’s seven-point output, but still not enough to stop Eriobu’s game-winner. 

Gilas Men’s 3x3 squad will face Indonesia as their next assignment after this tension-packed win. 


Edited by Quian Vencel Galut