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FIBA World Cup: 10 takeaways — positive and negative — in Gilas loss to Aussies

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Dominic Menor, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/sports/02/22/kevin-alas-gilas-022218.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Kevin Alas and Gilas Pilipinas showed no fear against reigning Asian champion Australia in their game Thursday. <em>Courtesy of FIBA website</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Here are some takeaways from Gilas Pilipinas&#x27; 84-68 loss to Australia in their qualifying game in Melbourne on Thursday for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/22/18/fiba-world-cup-gilas-pilipinas-falls-to-australia">READ: Gilas Pilipinas falls to Australia</a></li></ul><p>The good: Gilas went toe to toe for the most part</p><p>Gilas Pilipinas showed it can hang with Australia for longer than many people thought. The Philippines was down by just 6 points, 54-48, with 2 minutes left in the third quarter and June Mar Fajardo feasting in the low block. Then Fajardo was called back to the bench after being slapped with his fourth foul, and that&#x27;s only when the floodgates opened for Australia.</p><div><strong>The bad: Blatche fatigue</strong></div><p>Fajardo was subbed out for Andray Blatche, who had an active first half but couldn&#x27;t sustain it after the break presumably because of fatigue. Sensing this, Australia stepped on the gas and took advantage of this virtual 5-on-4 handicap. From a 6-point lead, Australia finished the third quarter on a 9-1 blitz to cruise to the win.</p><p>According to TV analyst Quinito Henson, Blatche hadn&#x27;t played competitive basketball since December. He joined the Gilas training camp trimmed down and fit, but against Australia in which he needed to play huge minutes his conditioning was exposed.</p><p>He played just 25 minutes even though he wasn&#x27;t in foul trouble. </p><div><strong>The good: June Mar steps up</strong></div><p>Fajardo was a sight to behold holding his own against Australia&#x27;s taller, heftier frontline. He had shown this focused performance during the first window of the qualifiers in November, but against the reigning Asian champions his play and effort were magnified.</p><p>He finished with 15 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the floor. One wonders how much more he could&#x27;ve helped the Philippines if he wasn&#x27;t saddled with fouls.</p><div><strong>The bad: Can&#x27;t shoot free throws</strong></div><p>The free-throw shooting can&#x27;t be this bad ever again. While Calvin Abueva did his job on defense and was relentless attacking the basket, the latter wouldn&#x27;t matter if he couldn&#x27;t make foul shots. He finished the night shooting 3 of 10 from the line, with him and Blatche combining for 4-of-14 shooting.</p><div><strong>The good: The future playmakers</strong></div><p>Kiefer Ravena and Kevin Alas did what was asked of them, finding seams in Australia&#x27;s defense in the half-court set and ran the break when the opportunity was there. Ravena figured in a nervous moment when he fell awkwardly on his left ankle midway through the second quarter and Gilas ahead 30-25, which essentially stopped Ravena and Gilas&#x27; momentum. Had he not been forced to sit out at that juncture, could Australia have gone on that 10-0 run to take the lead for good? Furthermore, if Gilas had suited up Jayson Castro and a third point-guard option was there, could the result have been different?</p><div><strong>The bad: Outrebound</strong></div><p>Gilas was hoping the sports adage &quot;speed kills&quot; would be enough to stop Australia, but it&#x27;s the cliché &quot;height is might&quot; that stopped the Philippines dead on its tracks. Australia won the rebounding battle, 50-30, by a mile and it was to be expected against a Boomers team that&#x27;s taller and bigger overall than the Philippines.</p><div><strong>The good: Lesser turnovers</strong></div><p>Gilas took better care of the ball against Australia, possibly a key bullet point emphasized by coach Chot Reyes after the first-window qualifiers. The Philippines finished with 13 turnovers and Blatche zero. Compare that with the 30 total turnovers and 12 by Blatche in 2 games in November and this was positive news.</p><div><strong>The bad: 3-point shooting needs to be better</strong></div><p>Even though the comparison of the two teams&#x27; 3-point shooting was a wash, one wonders whether a couple more makes from downtown would&#x27;ve altered the tenor of the game. The Philippines shot just 5 of 19 (26.3%) from behind the arc, slightly lower than Australia&#x27;s 7-of-21 (33.3%) clip. Roger Pogoy was the lone bright spot, hitting 2 of 3, but there has to be a way to get Matthew Wright and Allein Maliksi more outside scoring opportunities.</p><div><strong>The good: Challenge accepted</strong></div><p>Well, we did not lose by 31, Australia&#x27;s average margin of victory in its first two games, so that&#x27;s the best takeaway here. Consider the fact that en route to the FIBA Asia Cup title last year, Australia downed China, New Zealand and Iran — all top 5 teams in the regional rankings — by more than 20 points each. The Philippines losing by just 16 and keeping in step with Australia a majority of the game at its home floor without Castro and Terrence Romeo is nothing to scoff at.</p><div><strong>The good: Moral victory</strong></div><p>Against a technically more proficient and physically imposing team that&#x27;s ranked top 10 in the world, the Philippines will fly back to Manila knowing now what it&#x27;s like to compete with Australia. Sure, the result wasn&#x27;t a win but Gilas, which has been playing in these World Cup qualifiers without the benefit of tune-up games, broadened its horizon by playing a high-end opposition. Reyes and his coaching staff certainly gleaned a mountain of information out of this game, something that can be useful down the road.</p><p>(For more sports coverage, visit the <strong><a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a></strong>)</p>

<p>What do you think were the key factors that led to the Philippines losing to Australia? Was there anything Gilas did that impressed you?</p>

What do you think were the key factors that led to the Philippines losing to Australia? Was there anything Gilas did that impressed you?

FIBA World Cup: 10 takeaways — positive and negative — in Gilas loss to Aussies

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FIBA World Cup: 10 takeaways — positive and negative — in Gilas loss to Aussies

Dominic Menor,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 22, 2018 08:17 PM PHT

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Updated Feb 22, 2018 09:46 PM PHT

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FIBA World Cup qualifiers

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