GUANGZHOU – Kelly Williams, the former Most Valuable Player in the Philippine Basketball Association, has a new role with the Pilipinas-Smart Gilas team.

It's a role he has been playing to perfection.

Known as an athletic and versatile forward, the 6-foot-5 Williams served as the team’s stopper in the crucial 82-73 win over Chinese Taipei, which sent the PHL 5 into the quarterfinal round of the 16th Asian Games basketball competition at the Yingdong Gymnasium.

A player who has size and quickness to defend against the best shooters in the region, Williams was tasked to defend against deadshot Chin Chieh Lin of Chinese Taipei.

“I think what was crucial was when we put Kelly on their No. 12 guy (Chin) in the second half," said Pilipinas-Smart Gilas assistant coach Chot Reyes, who is also one among the PBA personalities loaned to the squad aside from Williams, many-time national team member Asi Taulava and Sol Mercado.

Chin was unstoppable in the first half. He made 12 of his 21 points in the first period and finished the first half with 16 points. He was held down to only five in the second half as Williams put more pressure on him on the defensive end.

With Williams getting half of the job done, Taulava, Marcio Lassiter, team captain Chris Tiu and Mac Baracael took the cudgels on offense.

Lassiter and Taulava finished with 18 points each to pace the team for the much-needed victory.

A last-minute inclusion in the final 12-man lineup, Lassiter also grabbed eight rebounds.

Taulava, the oldest player on the team at 37, added 12 rebounds in what was easily his most productive game.

Tiu came up big with 15 points, including a crucial four-point play in the closing minutes, while Mac Baracael contributed 12 markers.

Taulava wreaked havoc in the shaded lane as the PHL 5 outscored Taiwan, 22-14, in the third quarter to take a 64-54 cushion going to the fourth.

Tiu scored the first four points of the final canto that started a 7-2 exchange as the Philippines erected its biggest lead, 71-56, with 7:32 remaining.

But Taipei answered back with a 13-4 blast led by spitfire Hsueh Lin Lee to close the gap at 69-75, 3:05 left.

Then Tiu delivered the backbreaking basket, nailing a three-pointer from the right corner and drawing the fifth and final foul from center Tai Hao Wu. He completed a rare point-four play and gave the Filipinos enough cushion, 79-69, 1:51 left.

“We knew what we wanted to do in the game. We played good defense and that decided it," said PHL 5 head coach Rajko Toroman.

The Philippines will face South Korea Wednesday in their crossover quarterfinals match. This was assured after Qatar bowed to Iran, 46-88.

The Philippines and Qatar finished tied with identical 3-2 slates in Group F, but the Filipinos secured the No. 3 slot by virtue of the win-over-the-other rule with their win over the Qataris, 90-68.
In other Group F matches, Japan took the No. 1 seed after trashing India, 85-58, to face North Korea in the quarterfinals. Iran secured the No. 2 spot in Group F and will face Jordan in the next round.

China swept all of its preliminary games in Group E after walloping Jordan, 101-53. The Chinese team will meet the Qataris. - RCJ/KY,GMANews.TV