Team Philippines breezed past Kuwait, 85-71, Wednesday as it formalized its entry into the quarterfinals of the 25th FIBA Asia Championship in Tianjin, China. Powerade Team Pilipinos thus ended the second round of the elimination phase of the competition with a 3-2 win-loss record, not counting the win against Sri Lanka in the first round. Iran and South Korea, both with a 4-0 mark, would dispute the top spot in Group E later in the day. Also on tapped Tuesday was the game against two unbeaten teams in Group F – China and Jordan. The loser of that match would meet the Philippines in the quarterfinals set Friday. A win in the quarterfinals would catapult the Philippines into the semifinals and within reach of a berth in the 2010 World Basketball Championship in Turkey. The Filipinos played without much intensity against Kuwait, having secured its ticket into the knockout quarterfinals even before the match. The flashy Cyrus Baguio topscored for the Philippines with 14 points while Asi Taulava collected 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jared Dillinger and Kerby Raymundo chipped in 10 each while James Yap, Arwind Santos and Japeth Aguilar each had nine points. The Filipinos didn't pull away until the last five minutes of the second quarter. Aguilar put an exclamation point on the scoring run with a two-handed dunk off a Yap assist. After holding to a 17-13 lead in the first 10 minutes, the Philippines finished the second quarter with an 8-2 run for a 40-29 lead at the half. The Filipinos led by as many as 19, 83-64, with 2:12 remaining. The Filipinos dominated the boards, 45-29, and scored more points in the shaded lane, 46-38. But they continued to struggle from the free throw line, making just 64 percent of their shots (14-of-22). Despite the win, Philippines head coach Yeng Guiao expressed dissatisfaction with the way his boys played. “I'm disappointed even if we won,” Guiao said. “This is our worst game. The energy level wasn't there. I just didn't see the effort.” Asked what team he would prefer to go up against in the quarters, Guiao said he'd rather face the Jordanians. “Let's assume that Jordan would lose against China. If Jordan wins, then we could very well go up against China with our eyes closed,” he said. Jordan smashed the Philippines, 90-59, at the start of the Jones Cup tournament a month ago, a time when the Filipinos were still groping for form. China outlasts Jordan Power forward Yi Jianlian scored 29 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to lead China to a 89-83 win over Jordan, as both teams advanced to the quarterfinals. The New Jersey Net forward was helped by former Dallas Maverick center Wang Zhizhi who chipped in 23 points as China continued its unbeaten streak to finish atop Group F. Other results: Taiwan 99 Japan 79; Lebanon 105 Kazakhstan 56; Qatar 91 United Arab Emirates 45. Scores: Philippines 85 - Baguio 14, Taulava 12, Dillinger 10, Raymundo 10, Yap 9, Aguilar 9, Santos 9, Thoss 6, Norwood 3, Helterbrand 3, Miller 0. Kuwait 71 - Alrabah 20, Ashkanani 20, Saeed 12, Fadhel 6, Alsaeid 4, Alhamidi 4, Alkhabbaz 3, Fahdel 2, Jamal 0. Quarters: 17-13; 40-29; 60-51; 85
