Stung by two last-second losses, the Philippines made sure there was no endgame meltdown last night when it defeated Korea, 88-84, for its second victory in the 29th William Jones Cup in Taipei.

Asi Taulava, JJ Helterbrand and Gabe Norwood came through with crucial plays down the stretch as the Nationals bounced back from two straight heart-breaking losses.

The 6-foot-9 Taulava, foul trouble early in the opening-half, was a pillar of strength inside the pain and hit three of four free throws in the final minute to keep the Nationals afloat as the Koreans sustained the pressure, 80-78.

Korea missed a chance to tie the game with less than a minute left and JJ Helterbrand iced the game from the foul line, converting two free throws.

But it was the final play of the game that typified the Nationals' tenacity on both ends and their refusal to wilt under pressure this time out.

From a Korean inbound play, Helterbrand stole the ball then dashed up-court, dished the ball to a trailing Kerby Raymundo, whose touch pass to Gabe Norwood was translated into an emphatic two-handed jam.

That capped a bristling 9-3 run in the final two minutes. It was actually sweet revenge for the Filipinos, who lost to the Koreans because of a buzzer-beating triple in the semifinals of the 2002 Busan Asian Games.

The win, the Filipinos' second in four matches, erased the stigma of two heartbreaking losses to Lebanon and Japan, teams which the Nationals dominated early in the game only to crumble in the endgame. Against Lebanon, the Nationals led by as many as 11 points in the second half but succumbed to a buzzer-beating triple by Rony Fahed, 65-62. It was Yusuke Okada who delivered the dagger to the Philippines' hearts with a fast-break lay-up off a steal with barely a second left that gave the Japanese an 84-82 triumph. Behind Jimmy Alapag and Mark Caguioa, the Philippines won its first game against defending champion Athletes in Action of the USA, 72-67. *CPT

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