Three nights ago saw Gilas Pilipinas shoot at an abysmal rate from the beyond the arc against the Oh Sekeun-led Korea. The young cadets launched 26 shots from afar, but of all the projectiles they threw, only one made it through the hoop. And surprisingly, it was Jiovani Jalalon who knocked down the sole triple for the Filipinos.
Wednesday night was a nightmare for the Nationals. But Filipino-Canadian Matthew Wright, who went 0-for-7 from downtown in that very night at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, thought otherwise.
“When we only hit one against Korea, I knew we’re due for a big three-point shooting game,” said the 26-year-old.
And that statement from Gilas’ main sniper sounded prophetic.
Saturday afternoon versus India came to be the day where Gilas was due for that big three-point shooting game. They rained 17 treys all over India, leading to the rousing 101-70 victory to revive their flatlining medal hopes.
Von Pessumal and Almond Vosotros also waxed hot from deep
“I guess today was our lucky day, but we’re really due,” said the St. Bonaventure product, who topped the Philippines” scorers with 19 points spiked by five triples.
“It’s about time.”
However, the Toronto, Ontario-born cager downplayed the fiery shooting display he and his mates did, iterating that they faced a team less skilled than any other team in the tourney.
“We just handled business today. India isn’t the best opponent we faced,” said Wright, who is currently averaging 13.25 points. “It’s easier to spoil seventeen threes on a team that plays zone and isn’t as talented as the other teams.
“Today we just handled business and we made open shots.”
