GILAS Pilipinas rode on the hot hands of Juan Gomez de Liaño to score a 68-56 win over Iran in the fourth window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Sunday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Scoreless against Jordan last Friday, the Converge FiberXers star exploded with 16 points, including two three-pointers, to go with three rebounds, one assist and a steal as Gilas improved to a 4-4 win-loss slate.
Dwight Ramos also made his presence felt with 16 points, seven rebounds, two steals, one assist and a block, while Kai Sotto contributed a double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds for Gilas.
June Mar Fajardo contributed six points, on a perfect 4-of-4 free throw shooting, to go with two rebounds in his possible final game for the national team.
After struggling early in the contest, Gilas Pilipinas mounted a huge run in the second quarter behind Gomez de Liaño, Ramos and Fajardo to take a slim 36-34 halftime lead.
The game remained tight for both teams in the fourth quarter before Gilas Pilipinas went on a separation behind Ramos, Gomez de Liaño and Sotto to seal the win.
“Both games we are down at the start but we were able to come back, it only shows our fighting spirit,” Ramos said.
Mobin Sheikhi finished with 21 points, including five triples, for Iran, which fell to a 5-3 mark. (Adrian Co)
