Philippines-Mighty Sports shrugged off a late game scare and displayed poise down the stretch to knock down a resilient Chinese Taipei A squad, 89-81, to open their 2016 William Jones Cup campaign on a high note Sunday night in Taipei.
Taipei and Philippines slugged it out in the first quarter, but the former took a 10-7 lead midway after a triple. Philippines slowed down, which allowed their opponents to post a commanding 26-10 lead. They punched in baskets to trim the deficit, but still ended the quarter lagging by thirteen, 27-14.
Mighty Sports, in the next frame, were down by as much as ten, 33-23, with less than six minutes left. But through their inside game and fluid ball movement, Mighty sports closed out the first half strong, outscoring the Taiwanese 26-10 to turn the tables and gain a slim advantage, 40-37.
The Philippines pounced on Chinese Taipei in the third quarter, pushing a 21-6 run to post the game’s widest margin at 18, 61-43, with less than three minutes left. Chinese Taipei hit their free throws and outside shots, but the canto wrapped up with Mighty Sports still ahead by double figures, 65-52.
It was in the final quarter when Chinese Taipei displayed a gallant stand against the import-laden Mighty Sports. Down 71-57, the Taiwanese connected with their long bombs to trim the lead to four, 73-69, with 3:23 remaining. But that was their final run, as the Philippines outscored them, 11-10, in the closing minutes to shut the door for a comeback.
Four players led the charge for Mighty Sports by scoring in double figures, with Dewarick Spencer leading the way with 27 points. ABL import Troy Gillenwater chipped in 19, while Senegalese Hamady N’Diaye and former PBA import Zach Graham added 13 and 12, respectively.
Mighty Sports’ (1-0) next opponent will be South Korea tomorrow, July 25, at 5:00 PM.
Quarterscores: 27-14, 40-37, 65-52, 89-81
