MANILA, Philippines — Jordan coach Luis Guil can’t help but marvel at the size and talent depth of Gilas Pilipinas, whose tall front line composed of Kai Sotto, AJ Edu and June Fajardo dominated the boards en route to its come-from-behind 82-81 overtime win Friday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Filipinos outrebounded the Falcons, 56-42 with the 7-foot-3 Sotto collaring 14 rebounds, while the 6-11 Edu nabbing 11.
While the 6-10 Fajardo was limited to just five and half minutes as coach Tim Cone opted for a smaller lineup when the national squad fell by 17 points early in the game, guards Scottie Thompson and Dwight Ramos, as well as wingmen CJ Peres and Kevin Quiambao combined for 21 rebounds to typify Gilas’ domination and determination to control the boards.
“For me, they (Filipinos) have incredible team, a very big roster, very lot of (solid) players, 15 to 16 players (who can play at a) very high level, big level in FIBA,” said Guil, who came in as the new coach of Jordan for the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.
“With the Philippines, basketball is the first sport, they have very good players for me, lot of players who are now playing in Japan, Korea,” he added. “This is good for the players.” Jordanian small forward Ahmad Alhamarsheh seconded their Spanish coach.
“We started good, but teams like this (Philippines), you can’t have (too many) turnovers, and give more offensive rebounds because that means more possessions for them,” noted the 40-year-old veteran.
Jordan led by 17 points following a jackrabbit start against Gilas that silenced the hometown crowd at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
But Gilas methodically chipped the big deficit behind its choking defense, rebounding and the dominance of wingman CJ Perez in the second half and through overtime.
In the end, Kevin Quiambao’s go-ahead three, coupled by Sotto’s block on Abdullah Olajuwon’s driving layup in the dying seconds preserved Gilas’ come-from-behind win before a wildly-cheering home crowd.
The Philippines pulled off the victory in the absence of naturalized player Justin Brownlee, as the national team improved to 3-4, enhancing its FIBA World Cup bid.
Gilas returns to action on Sunday and battles Iran, hoping to cap its two-game home stand with another victory.
