Ginebra shoots down Gilas

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With import Nate Brumfield effectively shut down by the Gilas defense, the local Gin Kings had to step-up. And they did. Mark Caguioa did it in the first half, and then Ronald Tubid and Willie Miller turned it up in the second as Ginebra’s fans whooped it up in the stands.

Brumfield was limited
(image by Nuki Sabio of PBA.ph)

Marcus Douthit was his usual monster self, getting a double-double (25 points & 17 rebounds), but Gilas's vaunted outside shooting was just absent. They only managed to make 6 out of 22 attempts from three-landia. And the hero of Game 3? Jayvee Casio was held to 11 points on 4-11 shooting. It just wasn't the Nationals' night. Actually, it wasn't their second half. Their 9-point bubble at lemon time should've cushioned any impending Gin King rally, but nobody counted on Jong Uichico's wards uncorking 32 big ones in the 3rd canto alone.

Testy moment between Marcus and Mark
(image by Nuki Sabio of PBA.ph)

If anything, this series with Ginebra, and this PBA stint in general, has proven that Gilas needs to be tougher on all fronts if an Olympic berth is at all possible. If Gilas thinks the beating (literally and figuratively) they got from the PBA teams was tough, then they've got another think coming. Going up against the likes of Fadi El-Khatib, Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, Sam Daghles, Oh Se-Keun, Tseng Wen-Ting, and Yi Jianlian in FIBA-Asia will surely give them more headaches and bruises. This should prove to be a meaningful learning experience for the Nationals, and it should buoy them towards their dream of topping Asia's basketball circuit. Go Pilipinas!

Japeth's slam wasn't enough
(image by Nuki Sabio of PBA.ph)

The Scores:

Ginebra- 92: Tubid- 22, Hatfield- 16, Caguioa- 15, Miller- 11, Brumfield- 9, De Ocampo- 8, Cortez- 6, Wilson J- 3, Wilson W- 2, Labagala- 0, Mamaril- 0

Smart-Gilas- 85: Douthit- 25, Lassiter- 13, Baracael- 13, Casio- 11, Tiu- 7, Barroca- 7, Ramos- 5, Aguilar- 4, Lutz- 0

Quarter Scores: 18-26, 36-45, 68-65, 92-85