Gilas Pilipinas will be heading off to Saudi Arabia for the FIBA Asia Cup with a win thanks to Justin Brownlee, CJay Perez, and a strong second half.
In the end of 48 minutes, Gilas stood tall over the Black Bears, 103-98, in a hard-fought, well-played send-off for the national team held in front of a good-sized crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Gilas Falls Behind Early
But in the first half at least, Tim Cone and company looked headed for an embarrassing home defeat as the Black Bears went 12-for-16 from deep and built as much as a 21-point advantage. The Black Bears, who played with five full-fledged Americans, two Fil-foreigners, and two Africans, were so hot in the first 24 minutes that their three-point scoring alone—36 points—was as much as Gilas’ total of 37 at one point.
Jenning Leung was one of the Black Bears’ first half catalysts, firing all five of his triples in the first half, including three straight at one point to stretch the Macau lead from 35-25 to 44-28. The Black Bears stretched that lead to 56-35 at one point as they had Gilas shell-shocked.
Justin Brownlee, CJay Perez Provide Spark
Gilas, though, fought back in the third, with CJay Perez, fresh of winning a PBA title, providing a jolt of energy on defense and Justin Brownlee taking over on offense as he has always done while wearing the national team’s colors. Others got going as well, from Dwight Ramos to AJ Edu to Kevin Quiambao as Gilas locked down on defense and finally found a rhythm on offense.
Brownlee, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s beloved resident import, was at his best in the fourth, at one point firing three successive triples that pushed Gilas to an eight-point lead and then hitting an and-1 just as the Black Bears threatened at 93-92.
In all, Justin Brownlee fired 19 of his 32 points to lead Gilas Pilipinas’s 57-35 second-half turnaround. He added 15 rebounds and 5 assists while submitting a 93.7 true shooting percentage. It was, in many ways, a vintage Justin Brownlee masterpiece.
Contributors Aplenty for Gilas
Dwight Ramos backstopped Brownlee with 19 points, 4 boards, and 6 dimes, while AJ Edu delivered 15 points, 3 boards, and 2 dimes. He also had a pair of spectacular and-1 dunks to help the national team’s furious fight back. Kevin Quiambao, looking more confident and aggressive, added 14 markers, while Scottie Thompson chipped in 10.
William Douglas and Archibald Amorie Anthony led the Black Bears with 23 and 22, respectively, followed by Leung’s 17. Quentin Millora-Brown, a Fil-Foreigner big man who played for the UP Fighting Maroons, chipped in 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block for Macau. QMB was previously being considered for a spot at Gilas, but he was declared by FIBA as ineligible to play as a local.
The scores:
Gilas Pilipinas (103) – Brownlee 32, Ramos 19, Edu 15, Quiambao 14, Thompson 10, Perez 7, Newsome 2, Malonzo 2, Abarrientos 2, Aguilar 0, Tamayo 0
Macau Black Bears (98) – Douglas 23, Amorie Anthony 22, Leung 17, Peek 14, Shackleford 7, Millora-Brown 6, Dennis 5, Obasa 2, Ndiaye 2, Micek 0
