COACH Chot Reyes and Gilas Pilipinas didn’t disappoint in Amman by dealing Jordan its first home loss, 74-66, Friday.
Now, it’s off to Jeddah at the King Abdullah Sports City for the national men’s team’s second away game against Saudi Arabia in the fifth window of the International Basketball Federation World Cup Asia qualifiers.
“We’re happy with the result, and for the game, we really focused on our defense…being able to stop their main players,” Reyes said Friday in an online interview. “We were able to hold them below 70 points, so I think that speaks well of our ability to defend.”
With Jordan done, Saudi Arabia will be a distinct assignment, according to Reyes. It won’t be a walk in the park, he said.
“This will be a very tough match because we’ll be tired from all the travel and Saudi is playing at home, fighting for survival, as our ‘W’ versus Jordan has kept them in contention for qualification,” he said.
Saudi Arabia led from start to finish in scoring an 85-54 rout of India also on Friday in Jeddah. The Saudis stayed in contention with its second win in five games, while sending the winless Indians to the edge.
Gilas Pilipinas, behind Jordan Clarkson’s 23 points, blasted Saudi Arabia, 84-46, last August 29 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Reyes said defense was the key to frustrating Jordan, which lost a FIBA home game for the first time since 2018.
The Filipinos’ defense stood mighty especially in the final half where the Jordanians could only score a combined 27 points in both quarters.
Gilas improved to 4-3 won-lost, a record that actually doesn’t technically affect the team’s participation in the 2023 World Cup where the Philippines is seeded as primary co-host.
Bobby Ray Parks scored 13 points, CJ Perez had 11 points and Scottie Thompson almost had a triple-double of eight points, 13 rebounds and eight assists at the Prince Hamza Arena where Gilas was cheered by Filipino overseas workers.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game. We have very high respect for the Jordan basketball team and we have played them so many times already in the past,” Reyes said. “But again, our defense carried us to the victory.”
Ahmad Al Dwairi led Jordan with 18 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals, numbers that went to naught.
Gilas big man Kai Sotto and Al Dwairi traded highlights in what was seen as a a marquee matchup in the paint.
The Philippines was at its best in the last two quarters, limiting the Jordanians to only 10 points while scattering 21 of their own in the third period.
Gilas drew a balanced offense with 10 players getting into the scoreboard.
Image credits: Fiba Asia