The Philippines-Mighty Sports shrugged off rust in the first half to smash India, 101-81, and go up 5-0 in the 38th William Jones Cup, Thursday afternoon at New Taipei City in Taiwan.
The Philippines went slow in the first quarter, coughing up an 8-2 lead that allowed India to run back and take the lead by seven, 19-12, with less than five minutes left. Mighty Sports, with the pacing of Vernon Macklin and Mike Singletary, ended the quarter strong with an 11-8 run, but it was not enough, as the frame ended in the Indians’ favor, 27-23.
India exercised their running game further in the next frame, converting baskets off fastbreaks to go up by ten, 38-28, with 5:12 left. However, Al Thornton caught fire on offense, taking over for the Filipinos with his aggressive rim attacks and outside shooting to lead Mighty Sports in outscoring India, 20-10, to close the first half in a 48-all knot.
Mighty Sports started well in the third quarter, and by playing the passing lanes that led to transition sets, they buried India by 23, 77-54, with two minutes remaining. India were lost on both ends, and with Thornton, Spencer, and Hamady Ndiaye doing damage, the Philippines established a comfortable 79-59 lead as the third ended.
The Philippines sustained momentum in the game’s last ten minutes and never allowed India to stage any comeback. With Larry Rodriguez, Edrick Ferrer, and Jeric Teng all on the floor, everyone on Mighty Sports made baskets to further their advantage. India nailed triples, but time was not on their side, as Philippines coasted to their fifth straight victory, 101-81.
Thornton, who sparked the Mighty Sports’ comeback late in the first half, starred for the team with 30 points. Spencer added 21 points, while Macklin and Singletary nailed 14 and 10, respectively.
Tomorrow’s match-up for the Philippines-Mighty Sports (5-0) will be the dangerous Iran squad at 3:00PM.
Quarterscores: 27-23, 48-48, 79-59, 101-81
