GILAS PILIPINAS CLIPS EURO 20-U CHAMPS
Gilas Pilipinas rebounded from a loss the last time out with an 83-75 win over the tough Lithuanian 20-under team nearing the end of the Phl training pool’s Lithuanian buildup Tuesday night.
Jayson Castro and Marcus Douthit put in 14 and 12 points, respectively, in a balanced scoring Gilas dished out to best the reigning Euro 20-under champs.
The Filipinos bounced back strong from their 86-89 defeat at the hands of LSU-Baltai Sunday – definitely a positive sign for the Gilas team in its preparation for the coming FIBA Asia Championship.
“Still a lot of TOs (turnovers), still shot poorly from the 3 (three-point zone), but saw a lot of +s (positives),” said Gilas coach Chot Reyes on his Twitter page.
Gabe Norwood, Japeth Aguilar, Ranidel de Ocampo, Jeff Chan and Larry Fonacier contributed seven points apiece for Gilas that nailed a third win following earlier triumphs over Neptunas (81-76) and Birstono Jazz-Diremta (74-63).
The Filipinos started and finished strong as they measured up to the challenge of the Lithuanian young men’s team led by three US NCAA Division I campaigners.
The Filipinos imposed their game right at the start, taking the opening quarter at 30-22.
Gilas sat on a 51-43 cushion at the half and hung tough in the face the Lithuanians’ repeated uprisings.
Gilas and the Lithuanian 20-under team slug it out anew Thursday night before the Filipinos close out their six-game series with another match versus LSU-Baltai. (SB)
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
