GILAS PILIPINAS concludes their Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) campaign with a dominant victory over the Chinese National Team, 96-75. The game was held earlier this evening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson’s elite offensive prowess presented itself today, dropping 34 points—including 24 in the third quarter alone–to lead all scorers in tonight’s game. Meanwhile, Rhenz Abando put up 14 points in his best game of his international career. Kai Sotto and Dwight Ramos wound up with double-digit tallies as well in the victory.
A fiery start from the Philippine team saw perimeter deadeyes Roger Pogoy and Dwight Ramos get into an early groove from deep, both hitting triples opening up the game with a 10-2 lead. However, China showed poise late in the quarter, as they countered with 12 unanswered points to take their first lead of the contest, 14-10. The frame came to an end with Gilas going on a mini 6-0 spurt of their own before a Li Kaier jumper evened things up at 16 after the first ten minutes of play.
Similar to the first quarter, the white jerseys achieved early momentum thanks to disciplined offensive sets, going up 24-18 after an Abando long ball from the corner. Star big-man for Team Dragon, Zhou Qi answered with an and-one but only hurt himself in the process, ending his tournament prematurely and leaving China without their stalwart for the rest of the game. Gilas Pilipinas took advantage of this handicap down-low, getting good looks at the rim from June Mar Fajardo, Abando, Sotto, and Pogoy respectively to give them a 35-31 lead late in the second canto. This slim margin despite the home team’s impressive stretch was due to China’s ability to draw fouls and make their freebies at the line, eventually putting them at the forefront once again, 38-37. Clarkson’s buzzer-beating shot to contain the bleeding found their opponents up by only a single point in a tightly contested first half, 40-39.
Fan favorite Abando puts his stamp midway through the third quarter, making key defensive stops and scoring to put the game back in Gilas’ favor, 51-48. 2021 National Basketball Association Sixth Man of the Year Clarkson followed suit with five consecutive three pointers to balloon the Philippine advantage to 73-51 heading into the final quarter of their World Cup stint.
Contrary to the previous canto, Gilas utilized the paint to get their baskets in the fourth, preventing any opportunity for their opponents to mount a comeback. The FIBA World Cup hosts ended their appearance with a 21-point statement victory over their Asian neighbors, 96-75.
Box scores:
Philippines (96): Clarkson – 34, Abando – 14, Sotto – 12, Ramos – 11, Fajardo – 9, Pogoy – 7, Edu – 5, Thompson – 4, Ravena – 0, Perez – 0, Aguilar – 0, Malonzo – 0,
China (75): Kaier – 17, Zhang – 13, Hu – 12, Zhao R. – 12, Zhou – 5, Cui – 2, Fu – 2, Zhu – 0, Wang – 0, Zhao J. – 0
Quarter scores: Philippines-China : 16-16, 39-40, 73-51, 96-75
