Tim Cone said Gilas Pilipinas did not have an answer against Guam ace and San Miguel mainstay Jericho Cruz. But once they did, the Philippines simply breezed through the opposition.
Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone could finally heave a sigh of relief Friday night, Nov. 28.
Days before the road game in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Cone was wary of playing Guam on its home soil.
Though they had to survive Jericho Cruz’s early outburst, the Filipinos scored a convincing 87-46 shellacking of the home squad.
“The score didn’t indicate it, but we have tremendous respect for the Guam team [with] what they’ve been able to accomplish in terms of winning the qualifiers in the Asia Cup. It's just an amazing feat for them. I came in with a lot of trepidation,” Cone said during the post-game press conference.
Cruz was unstoppable in the first quarter, firing 13 points there for a 17-all stalemate.
“We didn’t have an answer for him, although we knew he was going to be incredibly motivated against us. He still came out and did some stuff. He shocked us,” said Cone.
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Slowly but surely, Gilas found its groove by becoming tougher and more aware on the defensive end, while Cruz cooled off.
Justin Brownlee led the charge for the Filipino dribblers with 22 points on a 50 percent shooting clip (8-for-16). He also had two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Dwight Ramos had an all-around outing of 10 markers, six rebounds, three assists, a steal and two blocks, while June Mar Fajardo flirted with a double-double with his eight points and 10 boards.
[RELATED STORY: Cone stresses importance of Gilas' games vs Guam in FIBA WC Qualifiers]
AJ Edu, who got married recently and only joined the team in Guam, added eight markers and the same number of rebounds.
“I think towards the end of the first half, we kind of got a rhythm. We came out in the second half, and we defended really well to stretch the lead and that ended up being the game,” said Cone, whose 12 wards all made a field goal.
Cruz ended up with 17 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal for Guam.
Tai Wesley had 12 markers, while Jonathan Galloway made his presence felt on the defensive end with four blocks on top of eight points and eight boards.
The two teams will meet again three days from now, this time at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.