Smart Gilas Five Faces Al Riyadi of Lebanon

The Philippine Smart Gilas basketball team continues to make ripples as they are gearing to clinch the finals berth against very tough and top favorite Al Riyadi of Lebanon in the semifinal phase of the 21st Dubai Invitational at the Al Ahli Indoor Stadium. Lacking in height and hampered by injuries of some key players, the Filipinos compensate with their speed, outside sniping and a big fighting heart. The Filipinos added a heftier Al Jazeera of Egypt side to it growing list of victims. Playing with a high-octane offense and gutsy defensive plays the Filipinos rallies tenaciously in the crucial stretch as they overcome a 15 point deficit and eventually wrapping the game with a dramatic 82-78 win to set up a semif-final duel with the fancied Al Riyadi team.

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