Gilas Pilipinas failed to sustain momentum after a strong start and succumbed at the hands of Asian basketball rival, South Korea, 82-70 Monday night in the 37th William Jones Cup at the Xin Zhuang Gymnasium in Taipei.
South Korea outscored the nationals 28-16 in the pay-off period, taking advantage of Gilas’ poor rotation on defense by hitting uncontested baskets and getting to the hoop several times for scoring opportunities.
After baskets by Calvin Abueva and Gary David gave the Philippines a slim 58-56 margin early in the fourth quarter, Korea went on to pour 13 unanswered points to take a 69-58 advantage.
Moon Tae Young scored six points, including four charities in the stretch, helping Korea create separation with his aggressiveness in getting to the interior.
Terrence Romeo responded by hitting three foul shots and a triple later on, pulling Gilas to within 64-69.
It was the closest Gilas could get, as Korea responded well by hitting back to back triples, courtesy of Lee Jung Hyun and Lee Seung Hyun, under the final two minutes of the match. Park Chan Hee hit a final trey after an Abueva miss to make it 82-70.
Lee Seung Hyun powered Korea with 19 points, including 11 in the opening quarter alone, as he went on fire from mid range.
Moon Tae Young added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and also went 7-for-8 from the line.
Korea and Gilas both shot 8-for-23 from the three-point area for a 35-percent clip, but Gilas struggled to find an interior presence for the second game in a row, shooting only 36 percent from inside the arc.
The Philippines was also outrebounded 43-34, as their diminutive frontline was smothered in the fourth by the Korean drives.
Terrence Romeo led Gilas for the second night in a row with 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting and 6-for-7 free throws.
Gary David added 16 points to recover from a bad game last night. Gilas takes on club team Spartak Primorye of Russia tomorrow.
The Scores:
South Korea (82) – Lee SH 19, Moon TY 17, Lee JH 12, Lee JH 11, Kim JK 8, Park CH 6, Kim SH 5, Kim TS 2, Ha SJ 2, Cho SM 0.
Philippines (70) – Romeo 23, David 16, Abueva 9, Castro 7, De Ocampo 5, Taulava 4, Tautuaa 2, Ramos 2, Intal 2, Norwood 0, Pingris 0, Alapag 0.
Quarterscores: 20-21, 36-34, 54-54, 82-70.
