Led by tiny Tenorio, Gilas edges USA for Jones Cup title

(Updated 9:15pm) The Philippines' LA Tenorio has proven time and again that short players can win in the big man's game. And now he's done it on the global stage.  The 5'8" Tenorio led the Smart Gilas Pilipinas national team to a historic win over a taller American squad Sunday to take home its first William Jones Cup title in 14 years, 76-75, in Taipei, Taiwan.  The last time the Philippines won, it was the so-called Centennial Team led by legends Alvin Patrimonio and Allan Caidic.  Tenorio, who plays point guard for Alaska Aces in the PBA, led the 2012 edition with 20 points, including 11 points in the final quarter to help his side come back from a 14-point deficit in the second half. Tenorio was later voted the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Entering the game, the Philippines was in a must-win situation against the US Select Team, a group comprised of American players with experience playing in Asian leagues, usually as imports. The Americans raced to a 6-0 lead after three straight jumpers, before a Gabe Norwood block led to naturalized center Marcus Douthit's jumper to put the Philippines on the board. Gilas would go on to complete a 10-0 run anchored by two triples from Jeff Chan to go up 10-6. A Jermaine Dearman post move finally gave the US another basket, 10-8, before a James Justice triple gave the Americans back the lead, 11-10. With 1:11 remaining in the first, Larry Fonacier was fouled taking a three. Fonacier made 2-of-3, before Wayne Arnold hit a tough jumper to give the US a one point lead, 13-12. In the dying seconds of the quarter, Mychal Kearse raced to give the US a buzzer-beating three, but the referees waved it off as the period ended with the Americans on top, 13-12. Both teams struggled to find their rhythm in the second period. Gilas' first basket came at the 6:35 mark courtesy of Douthit, to cut the lead to three, 17-12. Douthit scored again, but the US forced the action in the paint as a Scott VanderMeer short stab made it 23-16 for the Americans. The Philippines struggled against their taller counterparts, managing to grab only 15 rebounds to the US' 27, resulting in extra possessions for the US along the way. Chan scored on a layup to cut the lead to seven, 25-18, but Arnold scored five straight to give the US a 12-point cushion, 30-18. With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, Tenorio hit a baseline jumper to make it a ten-point game, 30-20, but Curtis Marshall responded with five of his own at the other end to give the US a 14-point advantage, 34-30. With 28 seconds to work with, the Philippines was desperate to cut the deficit leading to the break. Chan responded with a three with eight seconds remaining to make it an 11-point game at the half, 34-23. The two teams traded baskets early in the third, with the Philippines struggling to get defensive stops. A lay-up and two free throws from Douthit brought the lead down to 10 with 7:06 remaining, before Jermaine Barnes hit a jumper at the other end. A Chan three followed by a David undergoal stab brought the lead down to seven, 41-34, but Barnes hit a three to contain the Gilas resurgence. With the Philippines going into a zone defense, Justice found himself free for back-to-back lay-ups to give the US a 54-42 lead. A conversion by Arnold gave the Americans a 13-point advantage, before Chan and Tenorio combined for five in the last minute of the third period to bring down the lead to eight, 59-51. Tenorio opened up the fourth with five of his own, as a Norwood three tied the game at 59-all with 8:22 remaining. The Philippines grabbed the lead via a Tenorio floater, before an exchange by the two teams had the US up two after a Barnes three. A split from the line by Chan followed by a Fonacier three gave Gilas a two-point lead, 68-66, before Marshall hit a jumper to tie the game at 68. Tenorio hit a turnaround to put GIlas up 72-70, but Justice responded with a cold-blooded three at the other end to give the Americans the lead, 73-72. The Philippines found Douthit inside to take the lead at the 1:27 mark, 74-74, before Dearman found an open look inside with 36 seconds remaining to put the US ahead, 75-74. After a timeout by head coach Chot Reyes, Douthit and Tenorio played a two-man game, leading to a jumper by the guard to put Gilas ahead with 16 seconds to go, 76-75. The Americans failed to put a shot up at the other end, with Tenorio collaring the defensive rebound. Chan was fouled with 1.9 seconds remaining. After Chan missed the first the first attempt, the Philippines intentionally missed the second to drain the clock. After the second miss, the ball was tipped out of bounds.The Americans had 0.9 seconds to come up with a shot, but the jumper rattled out to give the Philippines its first Jones Cup title since 1998, 76-75. On route to the win, the Philippines beat Asian powerhouses like Iran, with their sole loss coming against a Lebanon side that went 3-1 in the second part of the tourney. Last year, the Philippines placed third with a 6-3 record with the first incarnation of the Smart Gilas team, comprised mostly of amateur players, backed by PBA reinforcements. In contrast, all but two of this year's team came from the PBA, owing to a shift in the strategy of the Philippine national team. The William Jones Cup is an international tournament held annually in Taipei, Taiwan, with teams coming mostly from the Asian region and America. - AMD/HS, GMA News