MANILA, Philippines – Fourth quarter is Justin Brownlee time.
Brownlee came alive in the final frame to help steer Gilas Pilipinas to a victorious start in the Doha International Cup by way of a 74-71 comeback win over host Qatar on Friday, February 14 (Saturday, February 15, Manila time).
Powering through his offensive struggles, Brownlee scored 9 of his 10 points in the fourth period as the Philippines completed its fightback from a double-digit deficit.
Dwight Ramos also starred with 15 points, while June Mar Fajardo tallied 12 points and 7 rebounds in the victory that felt very much like a home game thanks to thousands of Filipinos packing the QU Sports & Events Complex.
Buoyed by the roars of the Filipino faithful, the Philippines outscored Qatar, 23-11, in the fourth quarter.
The win would not have been possible without the resurgence of Brownlee, who went without a field goal and scored just a single point through the first three periods.
Brownlee sank his first field goal with eight minutes remaining and sparked a 14-5 rally that turned a 56-64 deficit to a 70-69 lead.
The naturalized star, who also contributed 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, capped that run with a transition dunk to give the Filipinos the upper hand for good.
Ramos then extended the lead to 72-69 after a strong attack, creating enough separation for the Philippines to ward off the Qataris.
Qatar nearly equalized when Tyler Harris scored off an AJ Edu goaltending violation plus the foul, but the big man missed the game-tying free throw.
Scottie Thompson then sealed the win for the Filipinos by canning his two foul shots with 16 seconds left to finish with 10 points.
Edu, who slammed home a two-handed dunk during that fourth-quarter upheaval, also made his presence felt with 6 points and 10 rebounds as he filled the void left by 7-foot-3 star Kai Sotto, who is out with a knee injury.
Kevin Quiambao tossed in 7 points and 5 rebounds for the Philippines, which will face Lebanon next in the four-team tournament at 11 pm on Saturday (Manila time).
Harris posted 17 points, while Mike Lewis II had 15 points to pace Qatar, whose lead peaked at 60-49 before its collapse.
The Scores
Philippines 74 – Ramos 15, Fajardo 12, Brownlee 10, Thompson 10, Quiambao 7, Edu 6, Perez 6, Oftana 3, Tamayo 3, Newsome 2.
Qatar 71 – Harris 17, Lewis II 15, Fouda 9, Seydou 9, Ndao 9, Saad 3, Magassa 2, Avdic 0, Grantham 0, Dieng 0.
Quarters: 18-20, 38-40, 51-60, 74-71.
– Rappler.com