MANILA – Gilas Pilipinas bucked a slow start to score a 94-83 victory over Ivory Coast in a closed-door friendly on Wednesday night (Thursday in Manila) at the Palacio Multiusos de Guadalajara in Spain.
Andray Blatche fell short of a triple-double with 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds while Paul Lee added 16 markers. Japeth Aguilar and Jaymar Perez also made their offensive contributions with 12 and 11 points, respectively, even as Gilas played with a 10-man lineup due to a minor injury by Gabriel Norwood.
Gilas Pilipinas fell behind early in the match and was trailing 19-28 after the first 10 minutes. But it got its offense going in the second period to come to within 45-50 at the half.
The national squad found their rhythm offensively in the third quarter, tightening it defense and forced Ivory Coast to numerous turnovers for a 79-75 advantage.
It was all Gilas Pilipinas in the final quarter. Blatche and Lee anchored the offense and thwarted several attempted runs by Ivory Coast to increase their lead to double figures.
Following the two-game exhibition match at Guadalajara, the national men’s basketball team will proceed to Malaga for a pocket tournament./PN
