Romeo's clutch shooting carried Gilas' victory against China

The Philippine national men’s basketball team finally ended its losing streak in Europe after defeating China, 72-69, to cap off its campaign in the Imperial City Basketball Tournament Sunday (early Monday morning in Manila) at Land Rover Arena in Bologna, Italy.

Terrence Romeo spearheaded Gilas Pilipinas with 18 points, 11 in the fourth quarter including two crucial triples down the stretch that helped Gilas Pilipinas survive China after squandering a 10-point lead.

Andray Blatche scored 14 points and 12 boards, while Jeff Chan chipped in 10. Jayson Castro also contributed nine points.

It was the first win for Gilas Pilipinas after succumbing to a combined margin of 71 points against Turkey and Italy in its European training tour.

The victory also became sweeter as it came at the expense of China, the team that edged them out for the gold in the FIBA Asia Championship finals last year.

In its first rematch against the Filipinos in FIBA Asia, the Rio Olympics-bound China did not field its top players in NBA draft pick Zhou Qi and former NBA player Yi Jianlian.

Suited up for Gilas Pilipinas meanwhile are its final 12 players who will compete in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Blatche lifted Gilas Pilipinas in a tightly contested first quarter, scoring seven points to keep the Filipinos in pace with the Chinese who took a 23-22 lead after the period.

But the naturalized player went scoreless in the second quarter. He struggled on only two-of-12 shooting in the first half.

Gilas Pilipinas was also trimmed down to 11 players after Ranidel De Ocampo was ejected for an altercation. Still, the teams were tied at 34-all at halftime, with Chan’s back-to-back triples keeping the Filipinos afloat.

Gilas Pilipinas looked on its way to pulling away after dropping a 10-0 bomb ignited by Castro who poured in eight points in that run. They led 49-39 with 3:58 remaining in the third frame.

But China quickly erased its deficit, knocking down four straight three-pointers for a 12-2 rally that knotted the game at 51-all.

Falling behind 63-61 with 4:22 left in the game, Gilas Pilipinas found a hero in Romeo. He knocked down back-to-back triples to fuel an 8-2 run that handed the Filipinos a 69-65 lead with 2:28 remaining.

After China came close to 69-67, Marc Pingris pushed Gilas Pilipinas’ cushion to four, 71-67, with 1:39 left.

After several misses, China finally scored to come within two points with just a second remaining.

Pingris made a split from the free throw line to seal the final score, with no more time for China to make a decent shot.

After more than two weeks in Europe, Gilas Pilipinas will now fly back to Manila and continue its preparations for the Olympic qualifier. The team will take on Turkey again on Friday at Mall of Asia Arena for its last friendly game.

source: interaksyon.com

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