Gupilan powers Perlas Pilipinas to 2nd straight win in FIBA Asia

MANILA, Philippines -- Perlas Pilipinas used a big second quarter run to break the game wide open and run away with a 65-45 win against Sri Lanka on Monday in the 2015 FIBA Asia Women's Championship in Wuhan, China. 

Shelley Anne Gupilan, Afril Bernardino and Merenciana Arayi fueled Perlas Pilipinas' 17-0 run in the second quarter as they transformed a one-point deficit, 17-18, into the huge 16-point lead, 34-18. The Sri Lankans never recovered from that shock as they dropped to their third straight loss. 

The Philippines, meanwhile, booked their second straight win after opening the tournament with a loss to Malaysia.  They caught Malaysia, Kazakhstan and North Korea on top of Group B with similar win-loss records. 

Gupilan, who played for the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds in the US NCAA Division II before transferring to National University, topscored for Perlas Pilipinas with 15 points.  The former two-time California Interscholastic Federation MVP and state MVP hit 5-of-9 from beyond the arc to power Perlas Pilipinas' offense.  

The 5-foot-8 Gupilan had plenty of help from Arayi, who finished with nine points and six steals. Bernardino hauled down 10 rebounds to go with six points. 

The Filipinas will next face Kazakhstan on Tuesday.