Gilas hopes fade, Canada moves up

Jay R. Gotera MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas suffered a second straight loss in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), bowing to New Zealand, 80-89, Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena to kiss its Rio Olympics hopes goodbye. Andray Blatche poured 30 points plus seven rebounds but his effort was not enough to stop the streak-shooting Tall Blacks team, ranked 21st best in the world, from entering the quarterfinals. Jayson Castro added 13 points and three assists while June Mar Fajardo and Jeff Chan both finished with 11 markers. The Filipinos once again started strong just like in Tuesday’s game against France, leading the Kiwis, 17-15, in the first quarter. But, again, Gilas failed to sustain its offensive firepower while allowing New Zealand to score almost at will from the three-point arc and inside the paint due to a string of defensive lapses. The Kiwis were led by two brothers—Tai and Corey Webster, who scored 25 and 23 points, respectively. After they seized the lead late in the first quarter, the Kiwis never looked back, taking a 38-31 lead at the halftime break. New Zealand padded its lead to 13 points, 50-37, in the third quarter. Back-to-back PBA MVPs June Mar Fajardo tried to rally his teammates as he prohibited some highlight reels, including a dunk over a New Zealand defender off an assist by Castro. With the Gilas shooters handcuffed by the Kiwi defenders, Blatche took over the game in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of the Filipinos’ first 12 points, including two triples. The Filipinos whittled down New Zealand’s lead to just two points in the middle of the fourth quarter. They were still in the game with 4:51 left, trailing by just five points. But the Kiwis poured cold water on the Filipinos’ comeback bid, rattling off an 8-0 blast to cruise to victory. Canada 58, Senegal 55 Meanwhile in Group A action, Canada entered the semifinal round after edging Senegal, 58-55. Toronto Raptors’ ace guard Corey Joseph paced Canada with 13 points while Tyler Ennis added 12 points. Melvin Ejim collected 11 points and eight boards while Cleveland Cavaliers’ Tristan Thompson added seven points and 10 boards. Maurice Ndour led Senegal with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks while Clevin Hannah finished with 13 markers.