LIVE UPDATES: Gilas hosts Guam in home opener of FIBA WC Asian Qualifiers

FOURTH QUARTER

-Scottie Thompson had to be assisted back to the bench at the 7:08 mark after hurting his ankle 

-Justin Brownlee finishes with 20 points 

-Dwight Ramos adds 19 points — including a breakaway dunk with 2:16 left to play — seven rebounds, and two steals

-Cruz paces Guam with 27 points, while Takumi Simon has 23 

-Gilas beats Guam, 95-71

THIRD QUARTER

-Guam put up a spirited comeback while holding Gilas to just three points in the first four minutes and 30 seconds

-Behind Cruz, the visiting team got to as close as nine points, 47-56 on the San Miguel star's triple inside the last five minutes

-At the end of the third, Gilas maintains a double-digit buffer, 72-55

SECOND QUARTER

-Young guns Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, and Quentin Millora-Brown as well as Chris Newsome and Cjay Perez started for Gilas

-Chris Newsome's triple gives Gilas a 23-point lead, 41-18 with 6:50 remaining in the first half

-Jericho Cruz tries to inject life into Guam, with his free throws pulling Guam to within 14, 36-50

-Gilas ends first half with a 50-36 lead

-Ramos and Brownlee lead Gilas with nine and eight points, respectively, while QMB adds six points and four rebounds

-Cruz has 13 for Guam, while Takumi Simo has four three-pointers

FIRST QUARTER

-Japeth Aguilar, who will retire from national team duties after the match, started for Gilas

-Everything clocked for Gilas off the bat as the Filipinos blazed to a 17-3 start.

-Gilas leads Guam, 32-15 at the end of the opening quarter

-Dwight Ramos leads the Nationals with eight points, while Justin Brownlee has six

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Gilas Pilipinas look to score a follow up victory just days after dealing Guam a 41-point beatdown in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

Gilas and Guam square off anew, this time with the Philippines as host to end the initial window of the World Cup Qualifiers.

The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym on Monday, Dec. 1.

In their first encounter, Gilas survived Jericho Cruz’s first quarter explosion before cruising to the 87-46 road win.

Coming off a bout with pneumonia, Justin Brownlee looked like he was in top form with 22 points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

Dwight Ramos added 10 points six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.

The two are expected to play the same major role when the Filipinos finish their home-and-away set against Guam.

For live updates about the Gilas-Guam match, refresh this page.

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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.