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[av_heading heading=’ All-Filipino Gilas stuns Vietnam to inch closer to SEABA crown’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Friday, May 19, 2017
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MANILA – Gilas Pilipinas still proved formidable even without naturalized center Andray Blatche as it scored a 107-52 win over Vietnam in the 2017 SEABA Cup on Wednesday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Matthew Wright led the way with 19 points, including five-of-seven shooting from beyond the arc, for the national men’s basketball team, which tied Indonesia on top with a 5-0 win-loss slate.
Calvin Abueva and Raymond Almazan contributed 16 points apiece, while Jeth Troy Rosario and Jiovani Jalalon had 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Chooks To Go-backed Gilas.
Gilas head coach Vincent “Chot” Reyes opted to rest Blatche against Vietnam to prepare him for the virtual championship game against Indonesia on late Thursday night.
“We know (Indonesia) is getting ready as well, raring to go as well, they got a couple of guys who are very, very fresh, that’s why we made it a point to give Andray some rest,” Reyes said.
With Blatche out, Gilas had a slow start in the opening frame holding only to a 12-point lead. The national team began to pull away in the second quarter behind Abueva, Wright and Almazan for a 53-29 edge.
Gilas widened the gap further in the second half with more locals contributing on the offensive end to build its largest lead of the match at 105-46 on back-to-back conversions by Abueva.
“We came into this ballgame with the purpose of making sure we keep our discipline and maintain good habits,” said Reyes. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case in the first quarter, in the first half.”
Gilas Pilipinas will be aiming for the all-important win against Indonesia as of press time, with only the tournament champion earning a spot to the FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon later this year, Aug.10 to 20./PN
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