The Philippine national men’s basketball team bounced back in the 2017 William Jones Cup after thumping Taiwan Blue, 88-72, on Sunday at the Taipei Peace International Basketball Hall.
Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger put up an impressive double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds as he anchored the interior play of Gilas Pilipinas (1-1) which booked its first win after recovering from its 90-77 loss to 3D Global Sports of Canada last Saturday.
Matthew Wright also fired 17 points spiked by four triples, while Kiefer Ravena added 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Gilas Pilipinas got off to a rousing start, unleashing seven unanswered points behind Ravena’s all-around play.
The hosts however displayed their steady shooting, and eventually got back in the game.
Coming off the bench, Wright then made his presence felt for Gilas Pilipinas, waxing hot for 14 first half points on 3-for-4 three-point shooting as he helped the squad grab a 40-30 lead in the second period.
Taiwan tied things up after a 10-0 run, but Gilas countered with a 7-0 run to end the first half with a 47-40 edge.
Gilas Pilipinas extended its lead to 11 points, 64-53, after a Wright triple late in the third quarter.
The hosts played catch-up for the entire second half as they couldn’t put up a rally deadly enough to threaten Gilas Pilipinas.
Ravena delivered the dagger baskets in the fourth quarter. With Gilas Pilipinas holding on to a 77-69 lead with over three minutes left, he fired a triple at the shot clock buzzer and drained a tough floater to hold off the Taiwanese.
Despite the win, it wasn’t all rosy for Gilas Pilipinas as Ray Parks needed to be carried by his teammates out of the court after injuring his ankle. He may miss the team’s next game against Taiwan White on Monday.
