Gilas Pilipinas 5.0’s debut in the international arena was spoiled as they failed to complete a come-from-behind finish against India, 91-83, in their opening match in the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 in Tehran, Iran early Saturday morning.
Amjyot Singh starred for India with 24 points and 18 rebounds. Helping him with the scoring load was Vishesh Bhriguvanshi by chipping in 20 markers.
Four players scored in double figures for Team Pilipinas. Rey Mark Belo led Gilas with 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting and grabbed five boards. Ed Daquioag supplied 15, while Russel Escoto and Mike Tolomia produced 11 and 10, respectively in the loss.
Gilas controlled the pace early in the opening quarter, erupting to a 12-2 run midway through their run-and-gun scheme. India came back from the deficit and closed by three, 15-12, by utilizing their scoring inside the paint, but Team Pilipinas surged to a 10-4 run capped by a Daquioag buzzer-beater to own the first ten minutes with a nine-point lead, 25-16.
The Indians, in the next frame, rose from the lag as their offense started to pick up. Behind by six, 30-24, in the 7:02 mark, India unloaded a furious 14-6 spree highlighted by free throws off Gilas’ penalty situation to have their first taste of the lead, 38-36, with 3:33 left. They led by as much as six, 44-38, but Gilas ended the frame with an 8-3 run to end the first half behind by just one, 47-46.
Gilas had a good start in the third canto, which saw them snatch the lead, 53-52, after a Roger Pogoy lay-up with less than seven minutes remaining. However, India utilized their inside game once more and scored 12 straight to gain a double-digit advantage, 64-53. Gilas punched in a few baskets, but India managed to sustain momentum to wrap the frame up by ten, 68-58.
The young Filipinos tried to stage a comeback in the game’s final chapter. Down 70-58 with just a minute coming into the fourth, Gilas outscored India 17-4 behind Belo and Escoto to grab the lead, 75-74. But that proved to be their last surge, as India used their length and speed to overtake Philippines, 89-79, with 49 seconds left. Gilas never had the chance to run back, thus dropping their opener with an eight-point loss.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Indians had a better showing in their opening game as a unit. They shot better from the field, converting 31 out of 67 shots in contrast to Gilas’ 29 of 86 shooting clip. They also grabbed 55 boards, eight rebounds more from the Philippines’ 47 and dished the ball better, 12-11.
Gilas Pilipinas (0-1) wil try to bounce back from the loss as they will face Chinese Taipei next on Sunday, September 11, at 7:45 PM.
The Scores:
IND (91) – Singh 24, Bhriguvanshi 20, A. Singh 16, T. Singh 15, Sivakumar 10, Bhullar 5, Pari 1, Y. Singh 0, Pethani 0, Bhardwaj 0, Ragupathy 0.
PHI (83) – Belo 21, Daquioag 15, Escoto 11, Tolomia 10, Cruz 8, Pogoy 7, Perez 6, Ferrer 3, Gotladera 2, Van Opstal 0, Javier 0, Pessumal 0.
Quarterscores: 25-16, 47-46, 68-58, 91-83.
