Phl cagers crush Syria, settle for fifth

Though going home empty handed, Team Philippines ended their Asian Games campaign on a winning note at a mincemeat of Team Syria, 109-55, on Friday night’s classification round of the men’s basketball tourney of the 2018 Asian Games at the GBK Basket Hall in Palembang, Indonesia.

The Filipinos saved their best for last, whipping the Syrians by 54 points for a fifthplace finish in the contest.

Jordan Clarkson mounted yet another encore of his brilliant scoring performances early in the tournament, finishing with 29 markers to go with four boards, a block, and a steal.

Christian Standhardinger, too, reprised his anchorage in the shaded zone, registering yet another double-double of 27 points and 15 rebounds.

The Nationals went off as soon as the game tipped off. The Filipinos, who were dealt with two heartbreaking losses took them out of the podium picture, vented their ire on the Syrians with 26-7 start. Asi Taulava, who is the oldest player in the team, figured in that early assault, going perfect on his three attempts from deep.

The Filipinos, who came from a 33-point rout of the Japanese on Tuesday, kept their feet on the pedal until the final buzzer sounded.

The victory improves the Philippines’ past two outings in the Asiad. The latest campaign delivers the country’s best outing since the unforgettable 4th-place finish in Busan, South Korea. But it was still a far cry from the bronze-medal run in the 1998 iteration of the quadrennial meet in Bangkok, Thailand.