Gilas downs Japan, will face China in FIBA Asia final

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas is moving on to its second straight FIBA Asia Championship gold medal match.

The Philippines earned a ticket to the final match after the men’s national basketball team took down Japan in the semifinals of the tournament, 81-70, on Friday, October 2, at the CSWC Dayun in Changsha, China.

The Philippines will take on hometown team China, who beat Iran in the semis, in the gold medal match at 8:30 pm on Saturday, October 3 with a ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics on the line.

Jayson Castro once again lived up to his billing as the Best Point Guard in Asia by posting 20 points and 7 assists, while naturalized Filipino Andray Blatche registered 22 points and 13 boards.

Ageless 38-year-old veteran Dondon Hontiveros from Cebu was also impressive, finishing with 18 points – all coming from his 6 3-pointers, two of which he hit late in the game to seal the win.

The Japanese were led by the 28 points of Hiejima, who was limited to just 6 points in the final two quarters by the superb defense of Gabe Norwood. Takeuchi also played well, finishing with 18 points and 16 boards.

Gilas limited Japan to just 36.5% shooting in the game, including a 0-of-11 display from downtown. The national team also overcame a huge free throw disparity, as the Japanese went 24-of-29 from the line while they went 6-of-6.

Hontiveros hit the first of his two 3-balls with 3:33 left, putting Gilas ahead 72-65. After Japan scored 3 straight, De Ocampo hit a mid-range jumper, and then Hontiveros hit another one from deep with 1:22 left to seal the win as Gilas went on top 77-68.

The national team also made the finals of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, but fell to Iran.

Hontiveros, Castro, and Blatche accounted for 60 of the team’s 81 points. De Ocampo finished with 8, while Calvin Abueva registered 6. – Rappler.com