Gilas Pilipinas vs. Qatar: Score and Twitter Reaction for 2014 Asian Games

Qatar claimed their third victory of the 2014 Asian Games on Friday, beating Gilas Pilipinas 77-68 to draw level on points with Group H leaders South Korea.

After progressing through the qualifying stage with two victories in tow, Qatar maintained their triumphant run of form as the Philippines slipped away in the second half.

In the early phases, each team showed weakness as the lead was exchanged back and forth, Gilas initially leading 12-9, then all of a sudden dropping an 8-1 share of points to trail 17-13.

As both teams found their groove, the fixture remained close at the end of the first quarter, Yahoo Philippines confirming a tied score at 19 points apiece:

Gilas had a point to prove in defence after conceding 68 points in their most recent outing, a loss to Iran, but as the game progressed, Chot Reyes' men started to accumulate fouls and open themselves up to the opposition.

Ill-discipline had cost them against Iran, and it began doing so again on Friday.

Nevertheless, it was a three-point game at the half-time interval, as confirmed by Rappler. Jimmy Alapag and Marc Pingris stood as the elite performers for Gilas:

It was at that interval where Qatar came into their own, however, and a switch-up in tactics led to improved results in which they outscored the Philippines 20-12 during the third quarter.

Al Rayyan's Boney Watson has always been looked upon as one of the standout stars in this Qatar squad, and the 36-year-old veteran performed admirably during these closing stages in particular.

GMA News' Jaemark Tordecilla remarked that Gilas' concerns run deeper than just the players, however:

With the Gilas threat dying away, Qatar began to rack up the three-pointers en masse, and at the start of the third quarter hit no less than five in succession to really open up their lead.

It was a gap Gilas never recovered, and despite closing the deficit to nine points in the final quarter, the match ended 77-68 in Qatar's favour:

Qatar's men have the need to drive even harder for success in the men's format after it was confirmed their female counterparts would be pulling out of the Asian Games.

A ban on wearing the hijab, per Thomas Burrows of the Daily Mail, was met with scrutiny by the group Human Rights Watch, quoted in the report as stating:

"

We oppose any general ban on wearing of headscarves and onus should be on the regulator to prove why a ban is necessary on the basis of health and safety. In the case of basketball, it's difficult to see how a ban on the headscarf is anything other than an unnecessary restriction on the players' rights to religious freedom and personal autonomy.

"

With this latest result, Qatar's men continue to hold up their side of the bargain in search of an Asian Games medal.

Their next fixture comes against Group H's bottom side, Kazakhstan, who they'll hope will prove even easier to surpass en route to a potential place in the semi-finals.