THE Philippines needed a big fourth-quarter push to fend off winless Japan, 100-85, in the William Jones Cup on Tuesday in Taipei.
The Filipinos poured it all in the final frame, unleashing a 14-1 run with three minutes left to seal the victory—their third straight victory against one loss to top-ranked Canada in their opening match.
Matthew Wright was again the man of the hour for Gilas Pilipinas. He slammed one in and buried a corner triple that capped Gilas’s 34-19 surge in the final 10 minutes.
Wright finished with 15 points and dished out four assists.
Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger was also in his best form so far and tallied a double-double of 22 points and 15 rebounds. Import Mike Myers added a 17-17 performance, while Kiefer Ravena chipped in 11 points.
The youngest among the 10 teams in the tournament, the Japanese gave the Filipinos a lot of headache with the promising combo of guard Shuto Ando and sweet-shooting big man Yusei Sugiura.
With the core of the team just averaging 22 years old, Japan was slightly ahead during the half, 42-41, as Ando and Sugiura combined for six three-pointers to keep the Filipinos at bay.
Gilas slowly found its mark through Jio Jalalon, who commanded the team with his hustle on both ends of the court.
Standhinger and Wright provided points in the pivotal stretch in the fourth quarter, just as Jalalon forced their opponents to turnovers with his aggressive play.
Trailing 79-95, Japan knocked down two straight triples to make it a 10-point game with less than two minutes to play. But the nationals were just too far away, as Myers highlighted the game with two dunks.
Sugiura led the Japanese with 22 points and five rebounds, while Leo Vendrame, Gen Hiraiwa and Shuta Hara all had 12 points apiece. Japan fell to 0-4.
Gilas will face South Korea on Wednesday at 5 p.m.