Despite not having Jordan Clarkson, Gilas Pilipinas were still able to impose their might on Kazakhstan, taking a 96-59 wire-to-wire victory to open their 2018 Asian Games campaign on a high note, Thursday morning at the GBK Basketball Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia.
With the win, the Philippines is one step closer to the knockout quarterfinals phase of the tournament with a 1-0 record in the three-team Group D. The top two teams will advance to the next round.
Stanley Pringle had a sensational Gilas Elite debut, scoring a game high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and going 4-of-4 from the stripe.
James Yap also made a mark in his return to the national team after a nine-year absence, finishing with 12 markers and six rebounds. His fellow UE Red Warrior Paul Lee added 10 points and two steals.
The Philippines had a strong start in the game, limiting the Kazakhs to just one field goal in the opening minutes.
But it was in the second frame that the blowout started, as Pringle’s triple off a Gabe Norwood dime with 31 ticks left gave Gilas a 41-20 lead at the half.
Gilas would never lose their hold of the driver’s seat from then on. Moreover, the Philippines strongly ended the match with 10 straight points – ended by Christian Standhardinger’s lay-up – en route to the 37-point victory.
Filipino-German Standhardinger chipped in 15 markers on 7-of-11 field goal shooting along with four caroms. Everyone fielded in by head coach Yeng Guiao contributed at least four points in the huge victory.
But this won’t be the last time these two squads will meet this year. The Philippines will still host Kazakhstan on Friday, November 30, for the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Forward Anton Bykov was the lone double-digit scorer for Kazakhstan with 13 points along with five boards.
Gilas will next face China on Tuesday, August 21, at 5:00pm.
The Scores:
Philippines (96) – Pringle 18, Standhardinger 15, Yap 12, Lee 10, Tiu 9, Norwood 7, Belga 5, Taulava 5, Erram 5, Almazan 6, Ahanmisi 4.
Kazakhstan (59) – Bykov 13, Gavrilov 9, Yergali 8, Zhigulin 7, Kuanov 6, Bazhin 6, Chsherbak 6, Marchuk 2, Maidekin 2, Yagodkin 0, Murzagaliyev 0, Satkeyev 0.
Quarterscores: 16-9, 41-20, 61-43, 96-59.
