This match augurs well for the Gilas Pilipinas gearing up for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia.
Gilas Pilipinas didn’t need Justin Brownlee to be his best on offense in nipping the Taiwan Mustangs, 74-64, in a send-off friendly at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Monday, June 24.
But while the reliable naturalized forward put up a relatively low-scoring output with 12 points, Brownlee dished out game-high 15 assists and spiked his performance with five rebounds, three steals, and a block as Gilas gears up for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia next month.
Instead, it was Dwight Ramos who carried the bulk of the load for the Gilas offense, finishing with 19 points, built around four triples.
He also had four steals for the national team, who fended off a couple of comeback attempts from the visiting squad in the fourth period.
Gilas saw a 17-point third quarter lead whittle down to eight, 58-50, after the Mustangs opened the fourth period with a pair of triples from Ben Borja and Tevis Robinson.
After Gilas coach Tim Cone sued for time, the national team went on a 12-6 tear capped by a Mason Amos corner trey that gave them a 70-56 buffer entering the last three minutes of the match.
Former Terrafirma Dyip ace Rashawn McCarthy responded with a booming three-pointer of his own, but the Mustangs didn’t really do much to make a difference from there.
“Coach Tim just emphasized defense and that’s what we did in the third quarter,” said Ramos, whose team had 15 total steals.
Kai Sotto had nine points and the same number of rebounds with two assists as starting center for Gilas.
June Mar Fajardo, who did a tremendous job of keeping 7-foot-6 Sam Deguara away from the point for most of the match, finished with eight points, four rebounds, and four steals.
Meanwhile, Oscar Lopez paced Taiwan with 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Ten-time PBA champion Alex Cabagnot made fans miss his flair as he scored 13 points for the Mustangs, built on two three-pointers. He also had seven rebounds, four assists, and a steal.
McCarthy added 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Deguara had 10 points and 13 boards.
Gilas will face Georgia and host Latvia in the group stages of the OQT set from July 2 to 7.