The tailspin of Gilas Pilipinas
continued in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. The Filipinos, with
Jimmy Alapag and Marc PIngris sitting out, were thoroughly dominated by a
youthful and energetic Chinese squad, while Qatar bounced back from losing to
Korea by defeating Mongolia.
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| Ranidel De Ocampo and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas stumbled anew. |
Game recaps:
CHINA over PHILIPPINES, 78-71
2013 FIBA Asia veterans Liu Xiaoyu
and Li Xiaoxu stepped up in this match, hitting a combined 5 triples as China
stayed alive for a top five finish in the tournament. Gilas Pilipinas was out
of this one early, consistently trailing by double-digits and falling behind by
as many as 19 points. The point guard duo of Liu and Guo Ailun effectively
quarterbacked Gong Luming’s squad, combining for 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 6
assists, while the wing pairing of Zhao Tailong and Zhai Xiaochuan tallied 14
and 13 points respectively. Young big man Zhou Qi also did well, anchoring the
middle with 9 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Marcus Douthit continued to put up
big numbers for the Philippines after being benched in the game against Korea,
scattering 24 markers, 6 boards, and 2 swats. Ranidel De Ocampo was the only
other Pinoy in double-figures with 14 points. China faces Qatar for fifth
place, while the Philippines, even if it wins its next game against Mongolia,
is set to record its worst finish in Asian Games hoops history.
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| Japeth Aguilar tries a floater over Zhou Qi. (image from Jumpball.co.kr) |
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| Liu Xiaoyu gets past the defense of Paul Lee. |
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| Zhai Xiaochuan rifles in a trifecta. |
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| Zhou Qi slams one home past June Mar Fajardo. (image from Jumpball.co.kr) |
QATAR over MONGOLIA, 87-78
Mongolia had the jump on Qatar here,
but coach Vasilis Fragkias’s wards recovered in the second quarter and played
well enough to advance to the battle for fifth place. Reserve big man Baker
Mohammed started in place of Erfan Ali Saeed here and did well, leading the
team with 27 points on 9/12 FG shooting. Saeed came off the bench and also
played a ton of minutes, recording 16 markers, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2
blocks, while Daoud Musa Daoud nailed 3 triples on his way to 13 points. On the
other end, prolific scorer Sanchir Tungalag was shackled to just 3 points as
Mongolia settles for the battle for seventh place against Gilas. Uuganbayar
Oyuntsetseg and Bilguun Battuvshin paced the losing side with 25 and 21 markers
respectively.
1 Comment
Thanks a lot.
Balas