DWIGHT Ramos admitted Gilas Pilipinas’ narrow 82-81 overtime victory over Jordan may have come by just one point, but the win carried plenty of weight for a team coming off a difficult stretch.
Ramos finished with 14 points as the Philippines erased an early 18-point deficit and escaped Jordan in front of a loud home crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“Man, it was great. Everybody stepped up in a lot of big ways. So I’m very proud of the guys,” Ramos said.
The victory also delivered exactly what head coach Tim Cone had been emphasizing to the team: a one-point win.
“And coach always says a one-point win. We got a one-point win,” Ramos added.
For Gilas, however, the value of the victory went beyond the final margin.
The Philippines had just endured tough qualifying windows against Australia and New Zealand, but Ramos believes those difficult games helped prepare the team for the fightback against Jordan.
“It was big because we had tough opponents, Australia, New Zealand,” he said. “But it made us better.”
Gilas fell behind early against Jordan but gradually fought its way back before forcing overtime at 72-all.
Kevin Quiambao then drilled the go-ahead three-pointer in the extra period before Kai Sotto sealed the victory with a game-saving block in the final seconds.
Ramos said the ability to recover from the slow start was just as important as the final result.
“We were able to come back from a slow start. And, you know, I’m just feeling very happy for us.”
The win snapped Gilas’ four-game losing streak and gave the Philippines a crucial boost heading into Sunday’s matchup against Iran.
For Ramos, the message is simple: the one-point win may not look overwhelming on the scoreboard, but in a World Cup qualifying battle, every win matters. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
