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

Gilas Pilipinas concluded their bitterly disappointing Asian Games run with an 84-68 win over Mongolia in Wednesday's low-key battle for seventh place.

The result was reported by Yahoo:

Despite being among the tournament favourites prior to landing in Incheon, the Philippines have failed to catch fire throughout the competition. The narrow win over Kazakhstan wasn't enough to put Gilas in medal contention, a result which applied real pressure to coach Chot Reyes.

Bullit Marquez/Associated Press

Mongolia raced into a 16-4 lead and threatened to further question Reyes' credentials in the early stages. Both he and the side have endured a pressure-filled competition, but the Filipinos showed steady confidence to keep up with their exuberant rivals.

Reyes' men opted for simplicity and aimed to gain control through sinking simple twos, despite the opposition's willingness to launch it from range. A three-pointer allowed the Mongolians to assume control at the end of the first quarter, although Gilas grabbed a double back inside the final shot clock.

Joey Villar, reporter for The Philippine Star, offered a crack at the favourites during the interval:

"

Oh my. Gilas being barbequed by Mongolia, 16-8, 1Q! @PhilippineStar #AsianGames2014

— Joey Villar (@JoeySVillar) October 1, 2014"

Jared Dillinger was among those to struggle early on, as a combination of inefficient shooting and staunch Mongolian defence kept the game tighter than the flow of play. Reuben Terrado of SPIN.PH underlined a frustrating first exchange for the Gilas side:

Japeth Aguilar began to grow into the game shortly after the break, noted by Terrado:

Many of Mongolia's little-known players were causing problems, however. Sanchir Tungalag appeared to be the side's best scoring outlet, while Bilguun Battuvshin's ability on the rebound kept the side dangerous.

Mongolia posted another three and then sunk a trio of free throws to keep themselves in contention for the win. Ranidel De Ocampo entered his stride for the Philippines at this point, despite continued resistance from a side who lost all of their group games, per Terrado:

The encounter began to swing here, however, as De Ocampo's increased influence allowed Gilas to back up their control of possession with the lead. RDO applied the simple finish before Mongolia missed an opportunity to square things up, per Terrado:

June Mar Fajardo showed his prowess to waltz through three Mongolian defenders before netting and drawing the foul. He sunk the bonus to put Gilas three up. Despite their impressive efforts, the Mongolian defensive game began to leave increasing gaps for Reyes' side to exploit.

A triple from Dillinger was followed by another Fajardo score to set the half-time score at 38-30, providing Gilas with room to express themselves in the second half. Terrado provided the key stats:

De Ocampo slammed home another dunk shortly after the break. The teams traded threes before the same player grabbed a basket and bonus to provide Gilas with a nine-point lead at 50-41. However, Filipino nerves didn't subside and Mongolia snatched the opportunity to apply further pressure, per Villar:

"

Back-breaking 3 straight from Mongolia cuts Gilas' lead to 52-49. Nervous, nervous. @PhilippineStar #AsianGames2014

— Joey Villar (@JoeySVillar) October 1, 2014"

Unfortunately for the Mongolians, Gilas quickly marched into an eight-point lead and finished the third quarter sitting pretty at 63-55. Gary David grabbed a basket once play restarted to stretch this to 10, followed by an Aguilar lay-up to make it 12.

Miguel Angel Morenatti/Associated Press

Mongolia tried to utilise two timeouts to get themselves back into the contest, but with two left on the clock, a basket from Fajardo and slam from Gabe Norwood put the match beyond the side who are ranked 112th in the world.

Gilas saw the game out, but couldn't overcome the feeling of disappointment, per Villar:

"

Gilas Pilipinas overcomes Mongolia, 84-68, to clinch 7th place, our worst finish here. @PhilippineStar #AsianGames2014

— Joey Villar (@JoeySVillar) October 1, 2014"

Prior to the victory, Reyes suggested there is plenty of work to do for the Gilas program. "It would have been great to medal here but our goal now is to get into the Olympics. I think it would be a shame to judge the program on this tournament," he said, reported by Carlo Pamintuan of Yahoo.

He's certainly right, as a hard-fought victory against Mongolia is as hollow as they come. Gilas struggled from the moment Andray Blatche was deemed ineligible, as the entire team seemed to lose confidence alongside news the American-Filipino was unable to play. This doesn't excuse the poor team showings, though, and leaves Reyes as a debatable choice to lead Gilas toward the Olympics.

Ultimately, the team will look back at this competition as a missed opportunity. A medal could have been achieved during a tight schedule in which Gilas never found their true rhythm, a notion underlined by their prolonged struggle to topple the Mongolians.