TAIPEI – Gilas Pilipinas didn’t blink in an eyeball-to-eyeball rugged, physical battle with Spartak-Primorye, putting up a solid effort to beat the Russians, 85-71, in the 2015 Jones Cup at the Xinchuang Gymnasium here yesterday.
The Filipinos methodically pulled away in the second half en route to the crucial win that sent Gilas Pilipinas back in contention in the nine-team, eight-nation tourney.
Gilas Pilipinas recovered from a 70-82 loss to South Korea the previous day, handing Spartak its first loss in four matches.
“Had they (the Nationals) backed down from them (the Russians), they would have to confront me,” said Gilas coach Tab Baldwin after the match marred by a near free-for-all just at the outset of the contest.
It was a highly charged game that the two coaches talked at halftime to calm down the situation.
Four minutes into the game, the two teams went at each other after Aleksei Goliakhov and Terrence Romeo traded cheap shots, sparking the melee.
At the height of the commotion, Russian center Alimdzhan Fediushin pitched the ball on Romeo’s face, sending the Filipino guard down on the floor. On the Gilas bench, Gary David and Calvin Abueva were all over Goliakhov.
Romeo and the two Russians were called technical fouls before the resumption of play.
In an earlier play, Sonny Thoss sustained a cut on his head on a wayward elbow by Fediushin. Five staples were used to close the cut and Thoss sat out the rest of the game.
“(Thoss) wanted to play when he came back,” said Baldwin who decided otherwise, giving Troy Rosario and Aldrech Ramos the chance to strut their stuffs against the Russians.
Romeo, Ranidel de Ocampo, Calvin Abueva, Matt Ganuelas, Moala Tautuaa, Asi Taulava, JC Intal, Dondon Hontiveros, Ramos and Rosario held the fort for Gilas as Gary David, Jason Castro, Marc Pingris and Gabe Norwood took their turn to rest.
Thoss was able to play only two minutes. Jimmy Alapag, on the other hand, was utilized for only a little over five minutes.
De Ocampo fired three treys and top scored with 13 points, Romeo contributed 11 markers while Abueva, Ganuelas and Tautuaa added 10 apiece in the best game dished out by Gilas here thus far.
“Everybody had to play. They made mistakes. Our game was not polished but everybody stepped up and contributed,” said Baldwin.
“What I liked the most was that we played with our roles – the shooters getting their shots, the rebounders getting the rebounds. From that standpoint, it’s a team win,” Baldwin also said.
The Filipinos made a big push together in the final half, seizing control at 61-48 and leading by as many as 19 at 84-65 before completing a first win by the Philippines against a Russian team in memory.
Spartak-Primorye, a leading team in the Russian pro league, shared the lead with Iran at 3-0 before the match.
“They were unbeaten before the game and they’re proud of that. They’re a physical team,” said Baldwin of the Russians.
“What we saw are two teams wanting to win. There were a lot of casualties, but that’s basketball,” Baldwin also said.