Gilas Pilipinas completed a sweep in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Window 4 after dethroning Iran with 68-56 on Sunday night.
The Philippines came off strong after surviving an overtime victory, 82-81, against Jordan the other day, and pulled off a win against their Asian Rivals to improve to 4-4 in Group E.
While Iran had beaten the Philippines six times in their seven FIBA meetings, they now fell to a 5-3 record.
Gilas standout center Kai Sotto led his team with a huge double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds, adding three assists.
Former BC Wolves guard (Lithuanian club) Juan Gomez de Liano finished with 16 points alongside B-League standout Dwight Ramos, dropping 16 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
Although winning by 12 points, the Filipinos needed to overcome their slow start after rallying from an 18-5 deficit as Iran’s Mobin Sheikhi had its back-to-back three in the first quarter.
The game remained tight in the second half as Iran threatened to regain control with Mohammad Amini’s layup, which tied the game at 54.
Ramos answered with a triple to bring the Philippines back in front, 57-54 with over six minutes left.
Gilas secured and outscored Iran defensively with an 11-2 run in the final minutes to win the two-game homestand.
