New Zealand ends Gilas olympic hopes

NEW Zealand put an end to Gilas Pilipinas' dream of a return to the Olympics on Wednesday night, hacking out a 89-80 victory behind the torrid scoring of the Webster brothers and a scrappy defense that wore down the Filipinos to the ground.

Corey and Tai Webster took turns shredding the defense of a Gilas side that looked a step too slow after a draining loss to France the night before, then presided over the decisive run that took the life out of the host team and a huge crowd that turned up at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Tall Blacks thus joined top-ranked France in the semifinals of this six-nation tournament while relegating Gilas to the sidelines in what was probably the last time an all-pro side represented the Philippines in the international stage. -spin.ph

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