2014 FIBA Asia Cup Roundup: Day 4

Left: Zhou Qi leads China past Japan.
Top right: Kevin Alas gave a lift off the bench for Gilas.
Bottom right: The Indians got win #2!

Day 4 of the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China saw Gilas Pilipinas close in on first place in Group B, while the Indians and Chinese gained ground in Group A.

In the first game, Gilas Pilipinas started well and cruised to a comfortable win, 74-57, against an ever-improving Singaporean squad. Gary David provided the early onslaught, scoring all 10 of his points in the first two quarters as the Filipinos erected a 45-31 lead entering the break. The Singaporeans would try to rally at different points in the second half, but coach Chot Reyes’s reserved played well enough to keep their Southeast Asian neighbors at bay. Once again, both David and Paul Lee led the scoring parade for Gilas with 10 points each, while burly Beau Belga and upstart Kevin Alas each tossed in 8 markers. It was a balanced effort for the Pinoys, with everyone playing at least 12 minutes. Strangely enough, naturalized player Marcus Douthit was the only one who failed to score. PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo finally showed some signs of effectiveness here, pocketing 5 points and 6 rebounds in 16 minutes of play. The wing tandem of Hanbin Ng and Wei Long Wong paced Singapore with 17 and 16 points respectively.

In game #2, India looked supremely confident in dealing Indonesia a beating, 91-55. One night after recording the biggest hardcourt win in their country’s history, the Indians spared no effort in showing the Indons who was boss. Coach Scott Flemming’s wards outrebounded their foes, 50-40, forced their opponents to commit 18 turnovers, and dominated the interior with 54 points in the paint. In short, the SABA champs just outclassed Indonesia for the entire game. Indian vanguard Vishesh Bhriguvanshi’s 16 points led the way, while Amjyot Singh filled up the stat-sheet with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists. Prasanna Sivakumar and Prakash Mishra provided added firepower off the bench with a combined 28 markers. 20-year-old 6’9 phenom Palpreet Brar also impressed with 5 points, 8 boards, and 4 blocked shots in under 13 minutes of action. Indonesia, meanwhile, was led by Fandi Ramadhani and Andakara Dhyaksa, who tallied 16 and 14 points respectively.

In the day’s last match, the hosts, China, recovered from the shocking loss to India by rallying past Japan, 79-66. Team Hayabusa actually had the stronger start here, with Kosuke Takeuchi scoring all 14 of his points in the first half. Coach Kenji Hasegawa’s wards led by 9 at the break, but then China made its move in the third period. Coach Wang Huaiyu’s boys went on a 12-0 tear to start the second half and never looked back. Behind the dominance of Zhou Qi in the middle and the hot shooting of Gao Shang from the perimeter, the Chinese seized the initiative and never relinquished the lead from then on. The gap was widest at 15 points in the final frame after Tao Hanlin scored to put China ahead, 77-62, with barely a minute to go. Zhou and Tao each registered double-doubles to spearhead China. The former had 16 points and 11 rebounds, while the latter ended up with 14 and 10. Gao rifled in three treys on his way to 15 markers, while Zhao Jiwei finally broke out of his stupor with 12 points, 2 assists, and a steal. Kosuke Takeuchi failed to score in the second half, but his 14-point total was still a team-high, while Chinese-born Tenketsu Harimoto dropped 10 points off the pine. The hometown quintet has practically cemented top seed in Group A, unless India finds a way to beat the mighty Iranians in their next game. If teams hold form, then China should face feisty Singapore in the second round.

BOX SCORES:

Day 4:

PHILIPPINES over SINGAPORE, 74-57

PHI 74 - David 10, Lee 10, Alas 8, Belga 8, Aguilar 7, Lanete 7, De Ocampo 6, Tenorio 5, Fajardo 5, Dillinger 4, Washington 4, Douthit 0

SIN 57 - Ng H 17, Wong 16, Goh 9, Oh 8, Toh 5, Lim 2, Han 0, Soo D 0, Soo P 0, Ng S 0, Low 0, Ng J 0

QS: 25-14, 43-31, 56-39, 74-57