July 1, 2016
Countdown to Manila OQT: 4 days
Gilas Pilipinas may have lost its final preparation game for the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but members of the Philippine national team all had positive things to say about the match.
Gilas lost to Turkey, 84-76 on Friday night, but did better than the team’s first tune-up against the same squad a few weeks ago in Istanbul where the nationals lost, 103-68.
“I felt we got a lot better. We executed. We played hard. We got doqn but we didn’t panic. We stayed to the (system),” Andray Blatche, who led the team with 20 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, said.
“I feel like everything we did is a good preparation for France. Starting tomorrow we will start doing film, and get ready for the 5th.”
Gilas got off to a good start and did not let Turkey take control. The home side defended well, and limited Turkey to only 40 first half points.
The Philippines did give up 10 unanswered points to Turkey to open the third period, which quickly pushed the visitors’ lead up to 17, 50-33 but the Philippines kept fighting back and even cut the deficit down to 82-76 in the final moments.
Gilas head coach Tab Baldwin said after the match that Gilas played “much better,” and that his group can still work on a few aspects of the game.
“We still have room for improvement, we will have time to work on that. We expect that France will present different problems compared to Turkey. But obviously, the lessons we learned and the improvements we made,” Baldwin said, adding the home crowd gave the team a glimpse of what to expect in the tournament.
“This is a small taste of what’s coming. It’s going to be great for us. We are very appreciative of the fans tonight and the support they gave us.”
Though outrebounded, 43-33, Gilas had more assists than Turkey, 16-15, and fewer turnovers, 11-15. Gilas shot 9-for-27 from three-point area, similar to Turkey’s 10-for-29 clip.
Perhaps the only setback was a 15-for-26 rate from the free throw line, something the team needs to work on according to Marc Pingris.
“Proud naman ako. May konting ia-adjust lang talaga. Pero sabi niya (Baldwin) sa amin pagkapasok (ng dugout) kanina, maganda naman daw, kasi every time sa mga tune-up namin sa Europe, every time pumapasok kami sa dugout pinag-uusapan namin ano ang problema eh. Ang pinagusapan lang namin kanina yung free throws and konting defense lang. Sabi niya good job pero yun nga pagdating ng third,” Pingris shared.
Pingris also said Gilas has to be sharp against France, which he believes is a much stronger team.
“Good job naman kami ngayon maski talo. Pinakita naman natin na lumaban yung team. Naging flat lang talaga noong third quarter eh. Lumabas kami na ang ganda ng first and second pero yung third, masasabi ko talaga na doon tumakbo ulit yung kalaban eh. Kailangan every quarter talaga handa. Ready lang lagi,” he said.
“Kailangan pukpok agad. Sa tingin ko mas malakas yung team ng France. Ibang klase yun. Hindi pwede yung papetiks petiks ka. Pag pinasok ka, laro agad.”
