Robert Bolick and Jerrick Ahanmisi spearhead Gilas Pilipinas’ scoring spree from three-point range as the defending champions earn their first win in the Asian Games and boost their chances of advancing to the quarterfinals
MANILA, Philippines – Robert Bolick rebounded from a scoreless outing, while Jerrick Ahanmisi shot the lights out as Gilas Pilipinas claimed its first win in the Asian Games, dealing Kazakhstan a 109-78 beating at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday, September 12.
Held scoreless in a narrow 89-85 loss to Bahrain the day prior, Bolick fired 20 points in just a little over 15 minutes to help the defending champion Philippines improve to an even 1-1 record in Group C and boost its chances of advancing to the quarterfinals.
Ahanmisi, meanwhile, erupted for a game-high 22 points on a 7-of-11 clip from beyond the arc, torching the Kazakhs in a fourth-quarter scoring spree that allowed the Filipinos to break the game wide open.
Gilas Pilipinas held a slim 18-15 lead at the end of the opening period before Bolick took charge and scattered 13 points in the second frame as it mounted a 50-37 halftime advantage.
Ahanmisi then picked up where Bolick left off, knocking down five three-pointers in the fourth quarter and singlehandedly outscoring the entire Kazakhstan team, which managed just 12 points in the final period of the 31-point blowout.
Calvin Oftana, who erupted for 31 points in the loss to the Bahrainis, still made his presence felt with 12 points, while Sedrick Barefield contributed 11 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds as he redeemed himself after going scoreless last game.
Zavier Lucero also delivered a near double-double outing of 10 points and 9 rebounds in the win, which saw the Filipinos sink 16 of their 29 attempts from long range for a healthy 55% shooting.
Bolick and Barefield, who both went 0-of-5 from three-point land against Bahrain, made 4 and 3 triples, respectively, this time around.
One of the few bright spots last game before he tweaked his right ankle late in the fourth quarter, Adrian Nocum played just a little under 16 minutes against the Kazakhs, contributing 4 points and 3 assists.
Anton Bykov produced 15 points and 10 rebounds to show the way for Kazakhstan, which fell to 0-2 after also absorbing a 38-point drubbing from China.
Given a one-day break, the Philippines turns its attention to unbeaten China in its last game of the group stage on Monday, September 14, with a win sending the Filipinos to the quarterfinals.
Only the top two teams from each of the three groups and the two best third-place teams will reach the knockout rounds.
The Scores
Philippines 109 – Ahanmisi 22, Bolick 20, Oftana 12, Barefield 11, Lucero 10, Baltazar 6, Arana 6, Abarrientos 6, Trollano 5, Nocum 4, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, Bates 3.
Kazakhstan 78 – Bykov 15, Marat 12, Maydekin 12, Neff 11, Rabchenyuk 9, Murzagaliyev 8, Fedchenko 7, Ivanov 2, Sakhipov 2, Severgin 0, Marchuk 0, Kuanov 0.
Quarters: 18-15, 50-37, 82-66, 109-78.
– Rappler.com
