Gilas Pilipinas dropped the second of their two tune‑up games to South Korea on Sunday, 69‑42, in another lopsided loss to the hosts. It followed the nationals’ 81‑55 defeat on Friday in what was the team’s first game together ahead of the 20th Asian Games.
Like in the opener, Gilas started slow—this time even slower—scoring only 4 points to South Korea’s 19 in the first quarter. The hosts extended the lead to 38‑14 at halftime and never looked back, building a 56‑27 cushion after three. The Philippines salvaged a 15‑13 fourth quarter, but it was a meek reply to a dominant South Korean showing.
Yu Ki‑sang led the hosts with 15 points, Yeo Jun‑seok added 14, Lee Hyun‑jung had 11, and Jang Jae‑seok chipped in 10. Zavier Lucero topscored for Gilas with 14, while Adrian Nocum had 9. Five of the eleven Filipinos who saw action failed to score.
Gilas’ Asiad Defense in Peril
If anything, Gilas is in for a rude awakening at the Asian Games, where every game matters. Playing anything close to how they did against South Korea could mean an early exit as Kazakhstan is a decent enough team and Bahrain has been steadily improving.
The offense has been abysmal, averaging just 48.5 points in two games. Shooting has been ghastly at 27.5%, tied to poor execution and compounded by 15.5 turnovers per game. It didn’t help either that the team’s supposed top playmakers in Robert Bolick, Sedrick Barefield, and Don Trollano were non‑factors.
Defensively, Gilas held South Korea to sub‑40% shooting but failed to impose pace. The undersized frontline surrendered offensive rebounds and couldn’t force turnovers to fuel transition play.
Reality Check
Put simply, Gilas showed little to inspire confidence in a competitive title defense. At this point, even reaching the knockout stage would be an achievement.
Then again, these were tune‑up games, meaningless in the grand scheme. Perhaps this squad has another gear once the real tournament begins on September 11. Maybe a miracle is waiting. Otherwise, embarrassment could be looming.
