Gilas dominates Indonesia to sweep 2017 SEABA, barge into 2017 FIBA Asia Cup
Indonesia was in the game, until they weren’t.
Gilas Pilipinas stamped their class in the Southeast Asian region after a decisive 97-64 win over Indonesia in the final game day of the 2017 SEABA Championships on Thursday, May 18 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Veterans Andray Blatche and Jayson Castro anchored the squad with Blatche’s 21 points and 10 rebounds leading the way. He shot 7-of-12 from the field and made four triples. Castro added 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists while hitting two from the outside.
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Indonesia, likewise undefeated going into Thursday’s match, gave the national team a brief challenge in the first few minutes of the game. Diftha Pratama’s triple gave the visitors a 5-2 lead, but Blatche and Castro proved to be too talented and superior to the opponents.
Blatche drained two outside shots and hit a dunk as Gilas raced to a 16-7 lead. Indonesia called a timeout, was never able to recover from that onslaught as the Philippines’ bench mob likewise did damage.
Gilas took a 34-14 first quarter lead after a wonderful display and never looked back. Their defense also forced Indonesia to miss from long distance.
Indonesia entered the game shooting 36.5 percent from deep and making 12 three-point connections, but those numbers went down to just eight makes on 30 percent
Indonesia’s naturalized player Jamarr Johnson was visibly absent from the match, only scoring four points on 2-of-6 shooting. With him a non-factor, Indonedia had no answers for Gilas throughout the game.
Arki Wisnu and Mario Wuysang carried the fight for them with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Wuysang dished out five assists.
Gilas made 13 triples, shot 49 percent from the field, and outrebounded Indonesia 53-25.
By sweeping the tournament, Gilas gained an entry to the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon later this year, the continental championship.
More importantly, they will be participating in the qualification process for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup which starts in November this year. The first three windows will see the Philippines going up against Australia, Chinese Taipei, and Japan.
Written by Levi Verora Jr
Photos by Glenn Michael Tan
The Scores:
Gilas Pilipinas – Blatche 21, Castro 14, Fajardo 13, Rosario 9, Wright 9, Aguilar 6, Jalalon 6, Romeo 6, Abueva 5, Pogoy 5, Maliksi 3, Almazan 0.
Indonesia – Wisnu 11, Wuysang 10, Pratama 8, Grahita 8, Sitepu 8, Kurniawan 7, Johnson 4, Sitorus 4, Dhyaksa 2, Nugroho 2, Lakudu 0.
Quarterscores: 34-14, 51-30, 78-47, 97-64.
I have to comment this or else, Jun Mar will never stop his LAZY, NONCHALANT passing in midcourt that can easily — as indeed it was twice — intercepted by rivals, Also, Fajardo loose handling of the ball gives way to easy steals. HEY JUN MAN, MATUTO KA SANANG MAGPASA AT HUMAWAK NG BOLA, OK? Another thing is Terence Romeo cellulite-ridden chassis. He MUST shed off tons of TABA to make him lithe and supple like when he played against Iran.ANG DAMI TULOY SABLAY. Culpri… TABA, CELLULITE, sa katawan.