France tops Group B, Turkey makes semis

Jay R. Gotera MANILA — Sleepwalking for most parts of the game, France finally exploded in the final quarter, going on a 20-2 rampage to beat upstart New Zealand, 66-59, and top Group B of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Thursday night at Mall of Asia Arena. The NZ Tall Blacks, ranked 21st in the world, led for three quarters and appeared on course for a huge upset of the No. 5 ranked France. With their starters muzzled by NZ’s stifling defense, French coach Vincent Collet sent in his second unit in the final frame, a gamble that paid off as their fresh legs carried Les Bleus to victory. France will take on Turkey in the semifinals while New Zealand tangles with Group A winner Canada, both games to be played Saturday also at the Mall of Asia Arena. The four squads take a rest day Friday. Former NBA veteran Mickael Gelabale led France with 11 points. Kim Tillie added 10 while Thomas Huertel chipped in seven to lead the mighty French comeback. NBA veteran Tony Parker was hounded all night long by the sticky Kiwi defense and bled for just six points. The athletic All Blacks controlled the boards, getting a whopping 20 offensive rebounds that enabled them to take a 13-point lead at one point. New Zealand was ahead 58-38 at the start of the fourth quarter when the trio of Gelabale, Tillie and Heurtel led a furious French counterattack, forcing turnovers and hitting a string of three-pointers. France outscored New Zealand, 28-11, in the final period. Corey Webster led the Tall Blacks with 21 points. Turkey 68, Senegal 62 Turkey overcame hard-fighting Senegal, 68-62, to enter the semifinals. Senegal joined the Philippines in the sidelines with its second straight loss. Point guard Ali Muhammed led Turkey with 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He also knocked down crucial baskets in the endgame to seal Turkey’s first victory in the tournament. Maleye Ndoye paced Senegal with 15 points. Gilas’ Ranidel de Ocampo retires TNT forward Ranidel De Ocampo has decided to retire from Gilas Pilipinas duty. The 34-year-old Gilas veteran announced the news on Twitter after Gilas Pilipinas got eliminated following its loss to New Zealand Wednesday. A day after the devastating defeat that left millions of Filipinos downhearted, some of the players blamed their inability to crack the Kiwis’ defense for the loss. The Gilas boys got only five points on fastbreaks, their biggest offensive weapon. Jayson Castro and Marc Pingris also believe that New Zealand’s familiarity with coach Tab Baldwin’s game plan also helped the Kiwis neutralize Gilas top scorers. Baldwin was a former coach and a resident of New Zealand.