Gilas Pilipinas dominates Manawatu Jets in tuneup bout

June 29 ------ Gilas Pilipinas dominated the Manawatu Jets, 90-61, in a friendly match as it continued its preparation for the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers at Palmy Arena in New Zealand.

Leading the way was Kevin Quiambao, who scored 13 points for the Nationals as they played without star reinforcement Justin Brownlee. Carl Tamayo followed with 12 points, while Barangay Ginebra forward Troy Rosario added 11. The Filipino hoopers led by as many as 17 in the first half and eventually took a 45-33 advantage into the break.

Gilas then stretched its lead to 22, 67-45, as it continued its onslaught in the third quarter, and that proved more than enough for head coach Tim Cone's wards to secure the win in the first of two tuneup matches. The squad's trip to New Zealand, however, was not without challenges.

Gilas deputy coach Sean Chambers shared in a social media post that weather issues delayed the team's trip to Wellington. They were instead rerouted to Auckland before returning to Brisbane and were eventually cleared to continue their journey. Fortunately, the Nationals quickly recovered and overcame the Jets as the match pushed through as scheduled. On the other hand, Kazlo Evans led the Jets with 11 points, while Jameer Reed added 10.

The Scores:

Gilas 90 – Quiambao 13, Tamayo 12, Rosario 11, Gomez de Liaño 9, Ramos 8, Newsome 7, AJ Edu 7, Philips 6, Abarrientos 6, Fajardo 4, Baltazar 3.

Jets 61 – Evans 11, Reed 10, Essahary 9, Richards 8, Small 7, Poplar 6, Collins 5, Zahran 3, Makoii 2.

Quarterscores: 25-12, 45-33, 67-45, 90-61.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com