Doha: Lebanon left Gilas Pilipinas gasping for air in a 75-54 rout early Sunday (PH time) in the Doha International Cup at QU Sports and Events Center in the Qatari capital. The Lebanese, who did not field top gunners Wael Arakji and Omari Spellman for the friendly tournament, turned to their defense to beat the Filipinos.

According to Philippines News Agency, down 40-46 with three minutes left in the third quarter, Lebanon ended the period on an 11-2 run to take a 51-48 lead before going 24-6 in the fourth frame to pull away for good. Overall, Lebanon limited Gilas to only 30 percent shooting, including a dismal 4-for-26 from long range while forcing 19 turnovers.

Gerard Hadidian and Jad Khalil each scored 18 points for Lebanon, which bounced back from its 70-82 opening-day loss to Egypt. Justin Brownlee put up 21 points, 11 rebounds and one assist for Gilas, which failed to follow up on its 74-71 come-from-behind win against the host team and fell into a tie with its tormentor at 1-1.

Gilas will cap its campaign in the four-nation event against Egypt, an 83-54 winner over Qatar in the main game. Gilas can still rule the pocket tournament championship if they beat Egypt and Lebanon loses to Qatar. If Lebanon wins its final game, Gilas might need to beat Egypt by 31 points or more to get the better of the tiebreaker.

The Doha International Cup serves as a tune-up series for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers (ACQ) set later this month in various venues.