Gilas Pilipinas eases past Congo in scrimmage

Gilas Pilipinas big man Andray Blatche tries to dribble past his defender during an exhibition game against the Congo national team in Spain. Photo from SBP

Gilas Pilipinas breezed through Congo, 102-80, in a closed-door scrimmage Wednesday (Manila time) at Palacio Multiusos de Guadalajara in Spain.

In a story on ESPN5, Gilas got off to a fast start then, kept its foot on the gas pedal in the second half behind naturalized big man Andray Blatche and Japeth Aguilar.

Blatche had 25 points while Aguilar added 22 for the Nationals, who are in the critical stretch of their Fiba World Cup buildup. 

“I am actually pleasantly surprised,” Guaio sad in an interview with ESPN5. “I knew we have a really good team. The chemistry was really good, cohesion was good. We shot the ball well.”

“For a 40 minute game, to score 102 points against a national team, I guess that shows that offensively the system is working,” he added.

The Filipinos dominated the Congolese, 31-16, in third quarter to take an 84-60 advantage and put the game away entering the final frame.