TIANJIN — Japan never saw Asi Taulava coming – a man approaching 40 who can run like he’s 20.

“Did you see my twin brother out there? He’s the one doing all the running, man,” Taulava told local sportswriters late Friday night after Powerade-Team Pilipinas, playing at breakneck speed in the second half, left Japan gasping, 78-69, in the 25th FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship at the Tianjin gym.

Surprisingly spry for a man built like a Sherman tank, the 6-foot-9 Taulava broke sprint records in anchoring the RP team fast break in a pivotal stretch in the last period, scoring eight of his 11 points in helping the Nationals find redemption after blowing a 19-point lead against Japan in the William Jones Cup tournament in Taipei last month.

Sonny Thoss, who led the breakthrough victory with 15 points, had four, Taulava six, including a one-handed slam, and Jayjay Helterbrand a fuse-lighting three-point shot during a decisive 13-1 run that turned a 59-56 edge into a 72-57 advantage with 5:04 remaining.

Asked how he was able to be so nimble, Taulava, who turned 36 last March, said laughing: “I got 21-year-old legs, man.”

With their second win in Group A, the Nationals arranged a critical encounter with South Korea (2-0) Saturday night at 9, a game that would impact on both teams’ bid to secure berths to the knockout quarterfinals.

Bringing a clean slate to the carry-over phase of the preliminaries against Group B qualifiers Iran, Chinese-Taipei and, most probably, Kuwait, practically guarantees a spot to the final eight where host China, Jordan, Lebanon and Qatar are bound from Groups C and D.

“The biggest factor is the desire of the boys to win,” said Guiao. “Kanina noong naunahan tayo sa first half, siguro kung marupok-rupok lang ang dibdib ng mga yon bibigay na e. That they came out stronger in the second half is a tribute to their commitment and dedication.

Sacrifices were made in the first half to keep the Japanese forces from overrunning the Nationals, who trailed, 16-5, at one point in the opening quarter.

Mick Pennisi, in pain from back spasms, inhaled it all in, burying three 3-pointers in the first half, two of them consecutively when Japan was again trying to pull away in the second period.

His extended playing minutes allowed Guiao to sit 6-foot-10 Japeth Aguilar, who strained a knee after a dunk during the Sri Lanka game Thursday.

“I was ready to bring in Japeth, but Asi and Mick played so well,” Guiao said.

Of Pennisi, his former player at Red Bull, Guiao said in jest: “Naitago namin siya sa kalaban. Pati nga sa’min naitago rin siya e.”

Buzzer-beating 3-point shots – one by Gabe Norwood to end the first quarter and another by Arwind Santos to nip the halftime buzzer – wiped the smiles off the faces of the Japanese and kept the flames burning for the Nationals.

Willie Miller, who had 10 points and four assists, capped a 15-8 run at the start of the second half with a driving layup to give the RP team only its second taste of the lead, 50-49.

And after Shunsuke Ito hit two free throws to restore Japan in front, Cyrus Baguio scored on a drive and Taulava finished a roaring fast break to make it 54-51, an advantage the Nationals never surrendered the rest of the way.

“It’s all national pride,” said Taulava, who went up against China’s 7-foot-5 Yao Ming in the 2002 Busan Asian Games and Iran’s 7-foot-3 Hamed Ehadadi in the 2007 FIBA Asia Men’s Championship in Tokushima.

“You know how it is when I get here, when I don the national colors. I seem to play different than I do playing in the PBA.”

James Yap, who arrived Thursday afternoon after the funeral of his mother in-law, former President Corazon C. Aquino, contributed three big 3-point shots, the biggest of which was delivered in the final minute that stopped cold a simmering Japan rally.

Their decision to sustain a blinding pace in the second half proved the Japanese’ undoing as they withered in the face of the Nationals’ relentless attack.

Learning from the lessons of Taipei, the RP team clamped down on Japan’s shooters, holding them to 4 of 17 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Overall, the Japanese shot a woeful 19 of 67 (28 percent), with the vaunted Takeuchi twins, Kosuke and Joji, combining for 7 of 25 from the floor.

Having forsaken their half-court game, the Japanese were limited to a measly three assists although they enjoyed a 49-40 advantage in rebounds (18-7 offensively) and displayed remarkable touch from the foul line where they went 27 of 32.

The past also came back to haunt the Japanese as local Chinese citizens, unforgiving of the anguish of World War II, came in droves to jeer their long-ago invaders, booing when Japan’s national anthem was being played and howling every time a player shot free throws.

In other games, Korea plastered Sri Lanka, 122-54; Jordan clobbered Indonesia, 105-47; Lebanon crushed United Arab Emirates, 108-38; Chinese-Taipei whipped Kuwait, 73-51; host China wore down Kazakhstan, 74-56; Qatar thumped India, 95-70; and Iran dumped Uzbekistan, 82-61.

The scores:

RP 78 — Thoss 15, Taulava 11, Miller 10, Yap 9, Pennisi 9, Baguio 8, Helterbrand 5, Raymundo
3, Santos 3, Norwood 3, Dillinger 2.

Japan 69 — Yamada 16, Takeuchi K. 14, Igarashi 13, Kashiwagi 12, Takeuchi J. 8, Ito 4, Amino 2, Okada 0, Takeda 0.

Quarters: 17-22, 35-41, 56-53, 78-69.