INQUIRER.net PHOTO/Tristan Tamayo
IT WAS definitely a lot more respectable this time and, in fact, the way Gilas Pilipinas performed—however in another losing effort—last night made it look like Turkey can be had in the future.
The Filipinos held their own against the towering and agile Turks before bowing, 84-76, in their final tuneup match before they try to win the Manila Olympic Qualifying Tournament starting Tuesday.
A good-sized crowd at Mall of Asia Arena that stayed on despite Gilas falling behind by 17 early in the third period applauded in the dying seconds knowing deep inside that something special could be in store for this country come next week.
The Filipinos lost their first meeting against Turkey in Istanbul, 103-68, and weren’t given much a chance in their second clash.
Undersized terribly but refusing to go down easily, the Filipinos fought doggedly hard from 33-50 down after less than two minutes gone in the third and crept to within five points that had the crowd all pumped up.
Terrence Romeo, Troy Rosario and Ray Parks—coach Tab Baldwin’s surprise choices—joined hands with Andray Blatche in the third quarter fightback that had the Filipinos making a game out of it and earning a chance to win it in the end.
Blatche finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists and had a scary moment with under five minutes left when he left the court favoring his left ankle.
Romeo contributed 16 points coming off the bench, all of them in the second half. He missed his first five shots but was on target when Gilas needed the firepower in the final two quarters.
Turkey had a huge size advantage and showed it can drill outside shots with uncanny ease.
The Turks made 10-of-29 three-pointers and was an efficient 18-for-33 from two-point zone.
Team Philippines could run into Turkey again in the tournament proper’s Final Four, depending of course on how the two squads finish the first round of play.
Gilas faced France and NBA superstar Tony Parker on Tuesday before clashing with New Zealand the following day, needing to win at least one to march on. Should the Filipinos win just one, they will clash against the top team in the other group, which could be Turkey or Canada.
The scores:
TURKEY 84—Ali 16, Guler 13, Erden 13, Geyik 12, Osman 10, Mahmutoglu 8, Asik 5, Savas 2, Korkmaz 2, Sipahi 2, Balbay 1, Arslan 0.
GILAS PILIPINAS 76—Blatche 20, Romeo 16, Castro 13, Norwood 10, Parks 6, Rosario 4, Aguilar 3, Reyes 2, Fajardo 2, Chan 0, Pingris .
Quarters: 19-20, 40-33, 65-53, 84-76.