Game on Saturday (Tianjin gym)
2 p.m. — RP vs Qatar (for 6th place)

TIANJIN, China — Gabe Norwood came tantalizingly close to becoming a hero for Powerade-Team Pilipinas Friday, but couldn’t get enough teammates to play supporting cast in the final drive against Jordan.

The Nationals fell to the more matured, more organized Jordanians, 81-70, in the knockout quarterfinals to bow out of contention for a top three spot in the 25th FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship here.

With the loss, its third in six games (not counting Sri Lanka), the RP team waved goodbye to its goal of reaching the FIBA World Championship for the first time in more than two decades.

But already assured of eighth spot, one rung higher than its 2007 Tokushima FIBA Asia predecessor, the RP team can aspire for fifth place with two more games coming up – against Qatar at 2 p.m. Saturday and a still unknown quarterfinalist Sunday.

A 1991 RP squad finished seventh during the Asian Basketball Confederation Men’s Championship in Kobe, Japan, a target the Nationals, also backed by Nike, can shoot for host China was battling Chinese-Taipei and South Korea was engaging Lebanon in two other quarterfinal matchups at press time, with the winners squaring off in the Final Four.

Jordan will face Iran, which came from behind to beat Qatar, 75-65, for a seat in the championship and one of three berths to the 2010 FIBA-World Championship in Istanbul.

The game will serve as a resumption of Jordan’s forfeited game with Iran in the William Jones Cup tournament in Taipei last month where Portuguese coach Mario Palma ordered a walkout in disgust over officiating, virtually handing the title to Iran. Jordan was up, 2-0, when a fight broke out, involving 7-foot-3 Iranian center Hamed Ehadadi.

Exhaling after China got past Jordan at the close of the preliminary round, setting up a Philippines-Jordan knockout, the Nationals came into the game armed with resolve and the belief that their destiny was to get back at the team that crushed them by 31 points in the Jones Cup.

Twice in the first half, they took the lead, the second at 24-22 on back-to-back three-point shots by Mick Pennisi and a Norwood free throw that erased a 22-17 first quarter deficit.

But on both occasions, the Jordanians rose to the challenge.

In response to the RP team’s audacious second quarter run, Jordan dropped four 3-point shots in a 15-3 counterattack that left the Nationals reeling until a 3-pointer from Cyrus Baguio to open the fourth period had something going.

Norwood, whose electrifying presence has been overshadowed by the dazzling three-point shooting of James Yap and Willie Miller in the Chinese-Taipei game, thrust himself into the spotlight by burying two consecutive triples followed by a fast break layup by Baguio that cut a 15-point Jordan lead to 68-63, with six minutes left.

Nobody else stepped up to play second fiddle to Norwood and Baguio, however, and it was the closest the RP team got to an upset as Jordan settled down, defending furiously and hustling to assemble a quick 9-2 run that ended the threat.

Six-foot-10 Ayman Idais did much of the damage by scoring 20 points before fouling out to backstop vaunted Rasheim Wright, stepping in and out of focus but still leading his team with 21 points.

Norwood led the RP team with 11 points, with Jared Dillinger and Willie Miller adding 10 points each. But Kerby Raymundo and James Yap turned up cold in the most important game for the Nationals, combining for 3 of 6 from the floor.

Zaid Abbas grabbed 16 rebounds as Jordan won the boards, 49-38, and the war in the paint, 36 points to 20.

“We knew Jordan is going to be a tough one for us,” said national coach Yeng Guiao.

The scores:
JORDAN 81 — Wright 21, Idais 20, Abbas Z.9, Soobzokov 9, Alkhas 6, Daghles 6, Alawadi 4, Al-Sous 4, Hadrab 2, Alnajjar 0, Almaaytah 0, Abbas I. 0.
RP 70 — Norwood 11, Dillinger 10, Miller 10, Pennisi 9, Baguio 9, Taulava 7, Yap 6, Raymundo 4, Thoss 2, Helterbrand 2, Aguilar 0, Santos 0.
Quarters: 22-17, 45-33, 67-52, 81-70.