Gilas keeps record spotless with dominant win over Guam in World Cup Qualifiers

The sweet taste of home propelled Gilas Pilipinas to lay waste on Guam with a 95-71 statement sweep to kickstart their campaign on a high note during the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City,  Dec. 1.

Gilas’ stellar opening skid catapults them to the top of Group A alongside Australia, with a 2-0 record apiece, while the Guaminians’ odds of finishing in the final three are running slim as they remain winless with no victories yet to their name.

Naturalized power forward Justin Brownlee carried the brunt of the scoring burden with 20 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, while Dwight Ramos contributed 19 markers and seven rebounds to power Gilas all the way from the opening tip.

Back on Philippine soil after their 87-46 dominance in Guam last Friday, Gilas waxed hot behind the early scoring antics of Brownlee and Ramos to a lead that swelled as big as 17 points in the first quarter, 32-15.

Quentin Millora-Brown had his fair share of the spotlight down the second salvo, where his basket spearheaded a 27-point cushion, 27-20, before Scottie Thompson solidified the lead with two charity hoops off a technical foul to close off the first half, 50-36.

But the Filipinos saw their gap slip to single digits as a hell-bent Jericho Cruz sizzled from deep with 10 markers to ignite Guam’s 24-6 push, 53-44, where Chris Newsome came alive just in time with timely baskets as he slashed through the Guaminians’ defense, 72-55.  

Ramos took the driver’s wheel during the fourth frame as the 6 ‘4’’ guard hacked through Guam’s sluggish perimeter with six points off layups alone to hammer the final nail in the coffin.

Fate smiled on the Philippine National team as they finished with a 51% average on field goals, while Guam failed to exorcise a shooting slump curse, with only 32% of their attempts going in.

Meanwhile, Cruz’s game-high 27 points proved to be futile as he was ejected courtesy of his 4th foul, where Takumi Simon and Jonathan Galloway tried to shoulder the offensive with 23 and 10 points apiece, but that wasn’t enough to pull Guam from defeat.

Gilas Pilipinas looks to keep its World Cup Qualifiers record spotless as it looks to sustain momentum in its February-March matchups against New Zealand and Australia.