The Smart-Gilas Pilipinas snatched its second win in a row after it routed Uzbekistan by 35 points, 85-50, in the Fiba Asia Cup yesterday in Tokyo, Japan.
The win put the Philippine National men’s squad on top group A with a 2-1 (win-loss) record.
Erstwhile leader China, which beat the Nationals last Friday, lost hold of the top spot after being gunned down by Lebanon, 89-69, also yesterday.
Lebanon, which lost to the Philippines Saturday night, also has a 2-1 slate while China dropped to 1-1.
The Nationals showed their dominance on both ends of the floor as they limited their opponents to just five points in the second canto to open up a 39-21 lead at the turn, a lead that would never be threatened until the final buzzer.
Jeff Chan led the way for the national team with 20 points spiked by four three-point bombs.
He orchestrated the Gilas’ strong start by firing in 12 of his points in the first canto for a 21-16 advantage.
The Nationals continued their onslaught in the second stanza, which they opened with a 14-0 blast that decisively tipped the tables in their favor.
Jared Dillinger, was the only other player to reach twin-digits for the Philippine National Team with 10.
The Gilas hit eight three-pointers yesterday, a marked improvement from their combined 8-of-48 clip in their first two games.
The Gilas finish the preliminaries with a match against Macau today.
BOX SCORES:
SMART-Gilas Pilipinas (85) – Chan 20, Dillinger 10, Douthit 9, Rosser 8, David 7, Fonacier 7, Reyes 7, Villanueva 6, De Ocampo 5, Norwood 4, Tenorio 2.
Uzbekistan (50) – Denisov 16, Juginisov 12, Kozlov 6, Rahimov 6, Yakhin 6, Nuraliev 2, Tangrikulov 2