Gilas demolishes Chinese Taipei to go 2-0 in Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers

Justin Brownlee leads Gilas Pilipinas anew in the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Gilas Pilipinas played with relentless pace all of Sunday night, picking apart visiting Chinese Taipei for a 106-53 victory in the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers.

Justin Brownlee annexed a second brilliant performance, this time tallying 26 points and 13 rebounds at a PhilSports Arena in Pasig City that was filled to the rafters.

Kai Sotto was also key once again, delivering 18 points and eight rebounds in the triumph that gave the national basketball program a rousing start for its four-year grand plan of returning to the Fiba World Cup which will next be held in Qatar.

HIGHLIGHTS: Gilas vs Chinese Taipei at Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers

More importantly, the 2-0 start, which included a victory over Hong Kong, gave national coach Tim Cone and his charges momentum heading into the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July where Gilas will try to utilize to crack the Summer Games that will be staged in Paris, France in August.

“I missed it. I missed the fans more than anything. I just missed seeing the smiles and just being able to make them cheer and just seeing their passion for the game,” said Brownlee, the naturalized ace who played his first game back in the Philippines after leading Gilas to an Asian Games gold medal last October.

“They definitely came in with some energy and it made me want to be more aggressive. Just to hear that crowd roar, just to put a smile on their face or make them cheer and be happy,” he added of the fans.

Calvin Oftana added 13 points while Carl Tamayo 11 in the scoring effort. Dwight Ramos tossed in 11 while Kevin Quiambao 10 for the Nationals who made their shaky start in Hong Kong four nights ago truly a jitters issue.

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Gilas Pilipinas led by as many as 54 points in its first home game since the Fiba World Cup. The triumph also gave the Nationals a 2-0 lead in Group B of the continental showcase.

“This was a pretty game tonight. We went out there, but we didn’t go out there to put out a show for everybody, we didn’t go out there to show how good we are,” said Gilas coach Tim Cone, wary of the big challenge that awaits in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia this July.

“We just want to go out there to work, but we also realized we have a lot of work ahead of us and a long ways to go.”

Cheng Liu finished with 13 points to star for the visitors, who didn’t bring their naturalized player Jonah Morrison.

Gilas, already with just a short rotation of 11 men, also played without Jamie Malonzo who was out due to a medical issue.