GILAS ON 5-GAME SKID IN TUNEUPS
Gilas Pilipinas remained on a slump eight days before the start of the 2014 FIBA World Cup, reeling to a fifth straight loss in tune-up matches on a 74-83 drubbing by FIBA Afro champ Angola in San Sebastian, Spain Thursday night (early Friday morning in Manila).
Andray Blatche dished out his most productive game in a Gilas jersey, coming through with 33 points and 17 rebounds which proved not enough to get the Filipinos past the Angolans.
Olimpio Cipriano scattered 29 points and naturalized player Reggie Moore added 14 as the Angolans, the leading African team ranked No. 15 in the world, stamped their class on the Filipinos.
The Angolans, winners of 11 of the last 13 FIBA Afro championships, cut loose from a tight game in the second quarter and held on to win the game.
Entering the final half with a 43-34 lead, the Angolans sustained their push and increased the bubble to 64-50 at the end of the third.
Coach Paulo Jorge De Macedo and his troops weathered a mild uprising by Gilas Pilipinas in the fourth quarter and went on to hand the Filipinos yet another loss in the stretch run of their buildup for the World Cup.
Jayson Castro, going down with an ankle sprain against Euzkadi-Basque Tuesday, was back in action, playing 15 minutes where he made two points.
Outside of Blatche, no other Gilas player scored in double figures. (SB)
The scores:
Angola 83 – Cipriano 29, Moore 14, Moreira 9, Fortes 7, Joaquim 6, Gomes 5, Mingas 5, Costa 4, Ndoniema 2, Santos 2, Manuel 0, Barros 0.
Gilas Pilipinas 74 – Blatche 33, De Ocampo 9, Norwood 7, Alapag 6, Chan 6, Tenorio 4, Aguilar 4, Fajardo 3, Castro 2, David 0, Belga 0, Dillinger 0, Pingris 0.
Quarterscores: 17-17, 43-34, 64-50, 83-74.
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