Photo credit: Carlon Pamintuan | One Sports
The Chot Reyes-mentored Gilas Pilipinas finished their 16-day European training camp on a high note in their preparations for the upcoming 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup by defeating the Lithuania's World University Games team, 125-102, in their last tuneup game in Kaunas on Saturday, July 8, at the Zalgiris Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania. The Gilas Pilipinas team has a 3-3 record in their six tune-up games.
As per espn.ph, Chot Reyes said: "It definitely showed the improvement. What was truly impressive was the effort of the players -- effort to defend, dive for loose balls, but also the effort to play together. I think that was very, very important. The defense that we had from game one to game six is really already like night and day. All the work that we put in on our defense is starting to show. But we all know that there's still a lot of work to be done. We're still a work in progress, but I must admit that I'm pretty satisfied with our game today."
June Mar Fajardo showcased his dominance on the court, leading all scorers with 28 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the field and an impressive 14 out of 15 from the free-throw line to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block in 27 minutes of play. Justin Brownlee had an all-around game, scoring 24 points (9/22fg, 2/7 3pts, 4/4ft), while also contributing 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks while Kiefer Ravena had a solid game of 18 points (5/8fg, 3/6 3pts, 5/6ft), 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
The Gilas team is set to return to Manila on July 10 and according to espn.ph, Gilas will have a brief break before diving back into intensive preparations for a new set of tune-up games in China. These games, scheduled for late July or early August, against the World Cup-bound national teams of Lebanon, Iran, and Senegal. The team is eagerly anticipating the potential availability of Jordan Clarkson and Kai Sotto for these games.
The Scores:
PHILIPPINES 125 - Fajardo 28, Brownlee 24, K Ravena 18, Perez 14, Abando 12, Malonzo 11, Kouame 7, T Ravena 6, Aguilar 5, Newsome 0, Ramos (DN-knee), Thompson (DNP-hand), Edu (DNP-ankle).
LUTHUANIA 102 - Berucka 15, Stenionis 14, Sederevicius 14, Valinskas 9, Jarumbauskas 9, Giedraitis 8, Daunys 8, Baslyk 6, Zdanavicius 6, Mineikis 5, Kozys 4, Zemaitis 3, Keliacius 1, Romancenko 0.
Quarters: 28-30, 61-63, 98-73, 125-102. [VIDEO] | [STATS]
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