TAIPEI — Gilas Pilipinas recovered from a woeful first half performance with a strong finish to beat Chinese Taipei-White (Team B), 93-82, in the William Jones Cup yesterday at the Taipei Peace Basketball Gymnasium here.
And for the second day, it was Filipino-Canadian sharpshooter Matthew Wright who shone brightest for the Nationals.
He exploded for 21 points off the bench on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, including 5-of-9 from the three-point area.
The national team used a decisive 11-2 run capped by a triple from Roger Pogoy that turned a slim 77-75 advantage to 88-77 lead with 2:21 left in a game that saw several skirmishes.
Gilas import Mike Myers also stepped up as he played his best game so far with double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Roger Pogoy added 15 points, Jio Jalalon contributed 13 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Kiefer Ravena had 10 points and seven assists.
The victory improved the national team’s record win-loss record to 2-1, tying Lithuania for third and fourth places in the standings.
Gilas takes on winless Japan (0-3) today at 1 p.m.
“Really, my most feared game is Taipei B – always. They play with a lot of energy, they come in and they have nothing to lose. It’s a game I approached with a lot of caution,” said Gilas coach Chot Reyes.
“We tried to tell the guys that they have to make sure that they come out with maximum effort because for sure the other team will come out with maximum effort,” Reyes added.
The game came less than 24 hours after intense-filled win of the national team against Taipei’s Team-A where Wright dropped 17 points to match Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger’s 17 points with 15 rebounds in an 88-72 triumph Sunday evening.
The scores:
GILAS 93 – Wright 21, Pogoy 15, Myers 14, Jalalon 13, Ravena 10, Ferrer 8, Cruz 6, Standhardinger 6, Daquioag 0, Vosotros 0, Pessumal 0, Paras 0.
Taipei-White 82 – Chen Y.C. 17, Barone 16, Huang T.H. 13, Chen G.Q. 9, Lee 8, Chien 5, Wen 5, Huang H.H. 4, Liu 3, Fan 2, Wu 0.
Quarters: 18-20, 44-44, 69-62; 93-82.