GILAS PILIPINAS SCORES CONFIDENCE-BOOSTING WIN OVER EGYPT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 25 Aug 2014
Doggedly pursuing their goal of a respectable performance in the FIBA World Cup, the Gilas Pilipinas men?s national basketball team broke its string of losses with a confidence-boosting win over Egypt as the Philippines continued to wind down its series of tune-up games in Spain before the start of the World Cup on August 30.
The Philippines battled a tough Egyptian team that finished runners-up to Angola in the FIBA Africa qualifiers losing 57-40 and went on to post a solid 74-65 victory.
Coach Chot Reyes in an overseas telephone conversation with the Manila Standard/Viva Sports while having dinner after the game said it was the first game in which he was able to have ?everything at our disposal? and moved forward with the game-plan that has evolved for the Group stages of the World Cup.
What pleased Reyes the most was that when naturalized NBA player Andray Blatche failed to convert on even one of his 11 attempts in the first half that the locals picked up to keep the Philippines within striking distance at the end of the first half 31-29 although Blatche found his touch in the second half.
Reyes commended PBA MVP Junmar Fajardo who has responded to the challenge playing big men of opposing teams in the last two or three games.
Reyes said ?Junmar played the game of his life? and added that ?if he can give three, four minutes while Andray takes a rest, we?ll be fine.?
He said ?we played much better against an Egyptian team that played hard.?
Behind a sizzling 17-5 at the start of the third quarter Gilas Pilipinas went ahead by a double digit margin and went into the final quarter with a seven point lead at 53-46.
The big Egyptians clawed back to come to within four points at 62-58 but the Philippines responded to register their first win after losing to European champions France in which Gilas Pilipinas put on an impressive showing after which injuries to Blatche and Paul Lee and Asia?s top point guard Jason Castro hurt the nationals chances against the big Australian and Ukraine teams as well as African champions Angola and the Basque National Team where some questionable calls in the endgame did the Philippines in.
In their final tune-up game Gilas Pilipinas will play the Dominican Republic.
The Egyptians had a roster of big men with Haytham Khalifa, a 6?10? forward, Moustafa Elmekawi, a 6?9? center, Rami Abdalla, 6?9? forward, Seifeldin Said, 6?9? center with only one payer under six feet, 5?11? guard Mouhanad El-Sabagh.
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