Gilas 5.0 raised the curtains of their second round campaign on a sour note after suffering a ten-point loss against a more experienced China squad, 75-65, in the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 Monday afternoon in Tehran, Iran.
Ace forward Mark Belo topscored the Nationals for the third straight game, hitting 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Roger Pogoy, despite shooting a dismal 4-of-14 from the field, still managed to supply 11 points in the loss.
Down 10-4 midway into the opening quarter, Gilas made the necessary stops and surged from the six-point lag behind contributions from Belo, Carl Cruz, and Chris Javier, to trail by just a point, 15-14, with less than two minutes remaining. The Chinese, however, still managed to close out the frame strong behind Jinqiu Hu and Shuo Fang as it ended in their favor, 18-14.
Gilas defended well early in the next frame and kept it close, 22-18, midway, but China were able to establish an eight-point lead, 27-19, in the 4:42 mark. Gilas caught up once more, 29-26, behind Cruz and Chris Javier, but their defense collapsed, allowing China to gain their pulse in the offensive end. With Qian Wu leading the way, China scored 10 straight to wrap up the first half with a 13-point lead, 39-26.
China’s pace slowed down in the third chapter, allowing the Filipinos to utilize their running game seamlessly. Behind the FEU trio of Belo, Pogoy, and Russel Escoto, Gilas made it a five-point game, 43-38, with 7:05 left. China’s shooting picked up once more and made another wide gap, 52-43, and despite Philippines outscoring them 8-5, they still closed the quarter with the lead, 57-51.
The Chinese sustained momentum in the final quarter, unloading a 10-2 run to post another double-digit lead, 67-53, early in the frame. Gilas could not convert any more baskets, helping China to exercise their mastery of the perimeter. China’s lead grew to as much as fifteen, 75-60, and from there, Gilas were helpless, paving the way for China to get away with the 75-65 win.
Hu starred for China with 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting and also had seven boards, while Fang added 10 in today’s victory.
Despite the loss, Gilas shot better compared to the Chinese, shooting 36.6 percent from the field compared to 35 percent for China. Gilas also had more assists, 14 to 12. But the rebounds were a huge disparity, as China clearly won the battle on the boards 47 to 35.
Gilas 5.0, now 0-2 in the second round, will battle Kazakhstan tomorrow, September 13, at 1:30 PM. Their last match of the tourney will be on Wednesday, September 14, also at 1:30 PM versus Jordan. Wins from their two assignments will boost their chances of making it to the quarterfinals.
The Scores:
CHN (75) – Hu 21, Fang 10, Zou 9, Cui 7, Liu 7, Zhao 6, Wu 6, He 5, Tao 2, Zhao 1, Yuan 1, Fan 0.
PHL (65) – Belo 16, Pogoy 11, Cruz 8, Ferrer 7, Javier 6, Daquioag 5, Escoto 4, Tolomia 4, Van Opstal 2, Gotladera 2, Perez 0, Pessumal 0.
Quarterscores: 18-14, 39-26, 57-51, 75-65.
