19th Asiad: Gilas struggles in blowout loss to RHJ’s Jordan
Jordan played splendid on both ends of the floor to blank Gilas Pilipinas, 87-62 in the 19th Asian Games on Saturday at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in China.
Gilas squandered an early 13-6 lead, and fell to a double-digit deficit by the halftime break.
A Rondae Hollis-Jefferson layup late in the second quarter pushed Jordan’s lead up to 42-29, after outscoring Gilas, 26-16 in the second frame.
The Philippines played catch-up from there, with a spirited third quarter effort tying the count at 48-all.
However, Jordan recovered quickly and dropped 13 unanswered points as part of a telling 17-4 run bridging the third and fourth quarters to establish a 65-52 advantage.
Later, the West Asian side continued to pounce on Gilas’ offensive struggles to extend the lead to as high as 27 late in the match.
Justin Brownlee led coach Tim Cone’s troops with 24 points while Scottie Thompson chipped in a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Hollis-Jefferson played an exceptional all-around game, finishing with 24 points, six boards, nine assists, two steals, and two blocks.
Fadi Mustafa added 17 points while Sami Bzai tallied 12 markers.
Gilas struggled offensively, shooting only 33 percent from the field and making just 4-of-24 from long range while finishing with nine assists as a squad.
With the loss, the Philippines settled for second in Group C and shall face Qatar, the third seed in Group D, in the qualification game to the quarterfinals.
Boxscores:
Jordan (87) – Hollis-Jefferson 24, Mustafa 17, Bzai 12, Al Dwairi 10, Bohannon 10, Hussein 7, Al Hamarsheh 5, Al Hendi 2, Al Hammouri Abbaas 0, Qarmash 0.
Gilas Pilipinas (62) – Brownlee 24, Thompson 11, Aguilar 8, Fajardo 8, Perez 5, Kouame 4, Lassiter 2, Newsome 0, Oftana 0, Ross 0, Tolentino 0.
Quarter scores: 16-13, 42-29, 59-52, 87-62
Written by Levi Joshua Verora Jr.
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