JAKARTA, INDONESIA - The Smart Gilas RP Men’s National Basketball Team got off to a rousing start in the 20th FIBA Asia Champions Cup at the Britama Arena in Jakarta, Indonesia last night when it thrashed Sangmoo Korea 90-76.
Bucking early foul trouble to American import CJ Giles and terrific three-point shooting from guard Park Se Wong and center Joo Tae Soo, the Gilas team behind Andy Mark Barroca, Marnel Baracael, and Giles to grab a 40-35 halftime lead.
In the dugout, National Team Head Coach Rajko Toroman exhorted his team to keep up the pressure defense and to run at every opportunity. But it wasn't easy as the Koreans kept the Filipinos from breaking the game wide open as they hit four more treys. A free throw by Joo closed the gap to 55-53 before Gilas went on a 20-3 tear to finally take control of the match.
In the dugout before the match, team co-captain Barroca exhorted his team: "Lumaban tayo. Wag natin ipapakita na takot tayo. Hindi nila alam na dati pa ako takot."
But if the Far Eastern University standout was nervous, it didn't show for he scored a team high 20 points. Giles added 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots in a monster performance in the slot.
The highlight of the game was when point guard Jayvee Casio drove the lane then threw up a lob that Giles caught in mid-air for a mighty slam dunk that got the crowd roaring.
The former Los Angeles Lakers draftee had a total of five dunks that thoroughly entertained the crowd. When he fouled out in the game’s final minutes, an appreciative crowd gave him an ovation.
The Smart Gilas Team will play Mahram Iran tomorrow. The Iranian squad features several players from the country's National Team that Toroman coached to the 2007 Fiba Asia title in Tokushima, Japan.
Smart Gilas 90 - Barroca 20, Giles 19, Baracael 14, Tiu 11, Casio 11, Ababou 7, Ramos 6, Ballesteros 2, Slaughter 0, Cawaling 0, Guevarra 0, Jazul 0
Sangmoo Korea 76 – Joo 18, Chung 16, Yang 7, Park 6, Chun 6, No 6, Han 6, Park 4, Kim 4, Park 3, Kim 0, Park 0
Notes: The official stat line had CJ Giles with only 2 blocks. But we counted six super swats that had his man crying like he was rejected by his supreme crush.
About the officiating? Well, I'd rather put it this way... it sucks.
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