Keeping its cool despite dirty plays by its opponent and home court calls, Smart Gilas Pilipinas scored an emotional 79-72 victory over Al Nasr of the United Arab Emirates Monday night to advance into the quarterfinals of the 21st Dubai Invitational at the Al Ahli Indoor Stadium here.

The Nationals made the right plays at the right time and the big shots in the crucial stretch of the game to post their third straight win after an opening-day loss to Al Jalaa of Syria.

The Filipinos, playing without Rabeh Al Hussaini, Adlrech Ramos and Dylan Ababou due to various reasons, endured some dirty plays from Al Nasr players and bum calls from the hometown referees in scoring the win.

Skipper Chris Tiu ended up with a busted lip and some bruises on his chest and legs while JV Casio was elbowed in the face by Khalal Msebah.

The host team benefited from bum calls, being awarded 27 free throws and making 19 while Gilas got only seven trips to the line, making five.

The Nationals, however, stayed focused and kept their composure, hitting the shots that mattered, highlighted by clutch triples by Tiu, Mac Baracael and Casio that kept Al Nasr at bay.

"I expected this tough game from the domestic team and I also felt we showed a great heart in this tournament in the very difficult moment," said Smart Gilas' Serbian coach Rajko Toroman. "We didn't lose our mind, we were focused and we made some crucial three-point shots.

"And I think this kind of game is very important for this young team because we know domestic referees will push for the domestic team and I'm very satisfied," he added.

The Nationals moved into second in Group B behind Al Jalaa, which is unbeaten with a 3-0 slate, and ahead of Zain Jordan, which has a 2-1 record.

The Syrians, who beat the Jamal Sampson-less Filipinos 90-76 last Friday, and the Jordanians, bronze medalists in the 2009 FIBA-Asia Championships in Tianjin, China, who lost to Gilas 82-85 last Sunday, clash Tuesday (1 a.m. RP time) for the top seeding.

If Smart Gilas ends up second, it will play the No. 3 seed, which could be Al Jazeera of Egypt or the national team of the United Arab Emirates, both carding 1-2 marks.

Elbowed and all, Casio still topped the team with 16 points laced with four booming triples, including one with 1.49 minutes left that broke a 72-all tie and the hearts of Al Nasr which failed to score the rest of the way.

Jamal Sampson, playing minimal minutes, bulldozed his way to 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks while Mac Baracael finished with 15 points including a clutch triple in the stretch that kept the Filipinos in the game.

Tiu, who is already walking wounded as he is nursing a recurring left leg injury, ended up with 13 points he spiked with six assists, four steals and three boards. - www.malaya.com.ph