Scottie Thompson finally had his Gilas moment.
The reigning Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player did it all for Gilas, steering the Philippines to a huge 74-66 road victory over higher-ranked Jordan in Group E of the FIBA World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers, Friday (Manila time) at Prince Hamzah Hall in Amman.
Thompson, who has been the heart and soul of Gilas in the game, flirted with a triple-double, grabbing 12 rebounds, scoring eight points, and dishing eight assists. He was a game-high plus-10 as well — the first time he netted a positive rating in a Pilipinas jersey.
But it was not just the face of Ginebra that delivered.
Kai Sotto was the rock for Gilas, tallying 17 points and seven rebounds.
Bobby Ray Parks, meanwhile, provided the early spark, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the first half. CJ Perez then picked up where Parks left off, finishing with 11 points and five assists.
Besides putting up the numbers on the board, it was the defense of Gilas that shook the hosts, especially in the third quarter.
With the game tied 43-all in the early goings of the third canto, Gilas went on a spurt, gaining a 53-45 advantage.
Zoned in was Gilas during that frame, limiting Jordan to just 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting from the field.
From there, Gilas’ lead would go to as high as 14 points, 71-57, with 4:18 left.
“Well, we knew it was going to be a tough game, we have very high respect for the Jordan basketball team. We have met them so many times in the past, even the coach. Obviously, we are very happy with the result,” said Gilas head coach Chot Reyes.
“Before the game, we focused on defense and stopping their main players. The result is we were able to hold them to below 70 points. I think that speaks well of our ability to defend. Our defense carried us in the game,” he continued.
Gilas are now 4-3 in the pool while dropping the Falcons to 3-4. This was Jordan’s first home loss since 2018.
Ahmad Al Dwairi notched a double-double for Lebanon with 18 points and 16 rebounds but committed 10 turnovers. Dar Tucker added 23 markers.
The Philippines closes its Window 5 campaign on Monday against Saudi Arabia.
The Scores:
Philippines 74 — Sotto 16, Parks 13, Perez 11, Thompson 8, Pogoy 7, Ramos 5, Aguilar 5, Erram 4, Malonzo 3, Kouame 2, Oftana 0.
Jordan 66 –– Tucker 23, Al Dwairi 18, Bzai 9, H. Abbas 7, Ibrahim 6, Alhendi 3, Alhamarsheh 0, Z. Abbas 0, Hussein 0, Kanaan 0, Alnajdawi 0.
Quarterscores: 21-20, 37-41, 58-51, 74-66.
