MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas banked on an inspired performance by Thirdy Ravena to emerge victorious over a pesky Indonesian side, 100-70, in the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in Jakarta on Sunday.
Leaning on an explosive scoring night by the Gilas neophyte, Gilas was able to fend off the home team's challenge.
The younger Ravena balled out against Indonesia, finishing with a team-high 23 points off the bench.
It was a slow start for the Filipino cagers, with the starting unit of RR Pogoy, Kiefer Ravena, Poy Erram, CJ Perez and Troy Rosario struggling to convert on offense.
But a Thirdy Ravena-led second unit was able to create some separation from the Indonesian side.
A personal 6-0 run by Thirdy in the opening salvo sent Gilas ahead 16-10.
But the Indonesians were still breathing on the necks of the Filipino cagers, with the Filipinos struggling with foul trouble in the second and third quarters.
Andakara Prastawa Dhyaksa was the driving force behind Indonesia's efforts.
In the third salvo, Indonesia came within four, 51-55.
But Thirdy sank 13 markers in the third period, including a personal five-point point run that the game around in favor of the Philippines.
By the end of the third period, it was already a blowout in the making, 67-53.
In the final quarter, it was a scoring party for Gilas Pilipinas with Pogoy, Perez and Kiefer boosting the Philippine offense.
While it took them longer than expected, Gilas' eventual domination is a noteworthyt debut for neophyte coach Mark Dickel.
Apart from Thirdy, Gilas newcomer Juan Gomez de Liano also finished in double digits with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
Pogoy chipped in with 16 while Perez finished with 11 points.
Kiefer also reached the double-digit mark with 10 points.
Meanwhile, Prastawa had a game-high 28 points for Indonesia in the loss.