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MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas faces a must-win situation when it tangles with Iran at the end of the fifth window of the World Cup qualifiers.
Boosted by a raucous home crowd, the Filipinos seek to exact revenge against the Iranians who beat them in the fourth window as they duke it out for the second time on Monday, December 3, at 7:30 pm at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Following a surprising 88-92 home loss to Kazakhstan on Friday, the Nationals couldn’t afford another defeat since that would mean potentially slipping out of a top 3 finish, which guarantees a spot in the 2019 World Cup.
Gilas currently carries a 5-4 card and shares 3rd place in Group F with Japan while Iran boasts a 6-3 slate for 2nd place.
The last time the two teams met, the Iranians protected their homecourt over the Filipinos for a gritty 81-73 win in September.
Christian Standhardinger, who torched Iran by 30 points and 12 rebounds in the fourth window, is expected to take charge as Gilas’ naturalized player. (READ: Standhardinger, Castro return to Gilas lineup vs Iran)
Jayson Castro and Troy Rosario, who served their respective three-game suspensions from FIBA, and Arwind Santos, who last played for the Philippines in 2009, return to national team duties.
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FIBAWCQ: PH vs Iran – Curated tweets by RapplerSports
– Rappler.com
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