Gilas Pilipinas were trounced anew by a European side, this time by Italy, 106-70 Sunday morning (Manila time) in the Basketball City Tournament at the PalaDozza in Bologna, Italy.
The host squad scored the match’s first 22 points, burying Gilas halfway in the first quarter. June Mar Fajardo scored the Philippines’ first field goal, but the Italians continued cruising to take a humongous 40-7 lead after the opening quarter.
Danilo Gallinari then scored six in a 9-0 run to open the second quarter which extended the lead up to 49-7. Italy never looked back as they dominated almost every category.
Italy, FIBA’s no. 35-ranked country in the world, shot over 61 percent from the field, and a staggering 62.5 percent from three-point range. The team had 14 more assists than Gilas, 27-13, and eight more rebounds, 34-26.
Gallinari had 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting in just 15:32 of play. Pietro Aradori had 14 points including 3-for-4 from long distance. Marco Belinelli added 11 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line.
Andray Blatche led the nationals with 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists although he committed six turnovers. Terrence Romeo and Troy Rosario each added 10 points.
Gilas will face China in the consolation while Italy will face Canada to determine the tournament’s winner.
Italy, a quarter-finalist in the 2015 FIBA EuroBasket, is likewise hosting an Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Turin. Participating teams in the Turin OQT are the hosts, Greece, Mexico, Iran, Tunisia, and Croatia.
The Scores:
Italy (106) – Gallinari 20, Aradori 14, Belinelli 11, Gentile 8, Datome 8, Cervi 8, Hackett 7, Abass 7, Bargnani 6, Della Valle 6, Cusin 4, Cinciarini 4, Melli 3.
Philippines (70) – Blatche 21, Rosario 10, Romeo 10, Castro 9, Pingris 4, Abueva 3, Aguilar 3, de Ocampo 3, Chan 2, Norwood 2, Fajardo 2, Parks 1, Reyes 0, Tenorio 0.
Quarterscores: 40-7, 64-23, 88-50, 106-70.
