Gilas recovers, nips Lithuanian 20-under squad

MANILA, Philippines - Gilas Pilipinas showed its ability to bounce back from a loss Tuesday night, starting and finishing strong to trip the tough Lithuanian 20-under team, 83-75, in their first of two scheduled tune-up matches in Klaipeda, Lithuania.

“Still a lot of TOs (turnovers), still shot poorly from the 3 (three-point zone), but saw a lot of +s (positives),” said Gilas coach Chot Reyes on his Twitter account.

The Filipinos obviously displayed mental toughness, rebounding from an 86-89 loss to the LSU-Baltai club team Sunday for a third win in four friendly games against Lithuanian teams.

The Lithuanian young men’s team was tipped to provide the Filipinos their toughest test in their Lithuanian buildup, being the Euro 20-under champ with a lineup bannered by three US NCAA Division I campaigners.

The Filipinos, however, measured up to the challenge, winning the game on a good start and rock-solid finish.

Jayson Castro and Marcus Douthit put in 14 and 12 points, respectively, to lead Gilas to another victory following earlier wins over Neptunas (81-76) and Birstono Jazz-Diremta (74-63).

Gabe Norwood, Japeth Aguilar, Ranidel de Ocampo, Jeff Chan and Larry Fonacier contributed seven points apiece in Gilas’ balanced scoring.

The Filipinos imposed their game right at the start, taking the opening quarter at 30-22 and the half at 51-43.

Gilas then hung tough in the face the Lithuanians’ repeated uprisings, completing the win that spoke well of the training the national pool is undergoing in this far European country.

Gilas and the Lithuanian 20-under team face off for the second straight game Thursday night before the Filipinos close out their six-game series with another match versus LSU-Baltai.

The Lithuanian training is part of Gilas Pilipinas’ preparation for the 27th FIBA Asia Championship slated Aug. 1-11 at the MOA Arena in Pasay and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.