Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas made quite a noise in their 2017 FIBA Asia Champions Cup debut as they took down the much taller and much experienced BC Astana of Kazakhstan, 73-65, Friday night in Chenzhou, China.
Kiefer Ravena captained the Filipino cagers with 22 points to go with three rebounds and two assists, while Isaiah Austin finished with 17 points, 18 rebounds, and six blocks.
Down by as much as 11 early in the game, Chooks took control come the third canto. A Ravena bucket and a Jeric Teng left corner triple helped the Filipinos regain the upper hand, 57-53, with 1:10 in the said frame.
Chooks then sustained the lead in the final 10 minutes of play. An 8-2 spree  capped by Norbert Torres’ lay-up off a Ravena dime  gave the Philippine contingent a comfortable 65-57 lead with 4:53 remaining.
The Kazakhs though nailed back-to-back triples to close within five, 60-65, but Chooks scored five straight, this time punctuated by Austin’s lay-up off a post move, to restore order, 70-63, with 1:56 left on the clock.
Charities by Ravena in the closing seconds sealed the resounding opening victory for Chooks.
Jett Manuel, who was celebrating his 25th birthday, provided the spark, scoring 10 points in the first half while fellow Xaverian Jeric Teng provided the big buckets in the second half, finishing with seven.
Chooks-to-Go played with just 11 bodies as Congolese Rodrigue Ebondo was not able to secure his visa.
Dimitriy Gavrilov led BC Astana with 11 points. Anthony Clemmons and Justin Carter backed him up with 10 points apiece.
Chooks shot 40.6 percent from the floor, and their small size gave them a hard time in the rebounding aspect as they were outrebounded, 47-33. They made it up on defense though, as they forced the Kazakhs to 15 turnovers.
Chooks’ next assignment will be Palestinian club team Sarreyet Ramallah tomorrow, Saturday, September 23, at 2:30 PM.
The Scores:
Chooks-to-Go 73 — Ravena 22, Austin 17, Manuel 10, Jeri. Teng 7, Jose 6, Revilla 5, Cruz 2, Torres 2, Jero. Teng 1, Tamsi 1, Vosotros 0.
Astana 65 — Gavrilov 11, Clemmons 10, Carter 10, Degtyarev 8, Murzagaliyev 8, Zhigulin 8, Yergali 6, Kolesnikov 2, Marchuk 2, Chsherbak 0.
Quarterscores: 21-19, 35-43, 57-55, 73-65.
