by Elyse Ilagan
Gilas Pilipinas sweeped Chinese Taipei 90-77 to take the championship title of the 2015 MVP Cup on Sunday, September 13 at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Gilas Pilipinas, who was also victorious over Talk ‘N Text and New Zealand’s Wellington Saints, have swept the pocket tournament with a clean 3-0 record as they prepare to compete for the FIBA Asia Championship.
Andray Blatche led for most of the game with a double-double, 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Asi Taulava, despite limited playing time, posted 13 points and six rebounds.
Terrence Romeo and Blatche gave Gilas a comfortable 27-15 lead on the first quarter which continued onto the next as a dominant performance yielded a 46-34 gap.
The 3rd quarter witnessed JC Intal’s incredible dunk, which boosted Gilas’ 19-point lead, with a 58-39 scorecard at the 7:00 mark. Chinese Taipei showed signs of life through Lu Cheng-Ju, Chen Shun-Hsiang and Tsai Wen-Cheng when they scored seven consecutive points to catch up a bit during the third quarter, which ended 73-59.
However, Gilas prevented Chinese Taipei from scoring, as they led by as much as 20 points in the early fourth quarter, but they fought hard just as when Gilas were determined to win the game. Chinese Taipei responded with knocking down three straight triples, cutting down the gap from 17 to 8, as the score registered 83-75. But Ranidel De Ocampo’s first basket answered with a three-point shot, followed by Calvin Abueva who scored a tip-in to make the lead into 13 points. The game ended with Gilas standing triumphant over the Chinese, ending the fourth quarter 90-77.
The Chinese-Taipei did not succeed in winning a single game in the MVP Cup, while Gilas Pilipinas will move on to compete in the FIBA Asia Championship tournament in Changsha, China starting on Sept. 23.'
Scores:
Gilas Pilipinas (90) – Blatche 18, Taulava 13, Romeo 12, Abueva 11, Pingris 8, Hontiveros 7, Ganuelas-Rosser 6, Intal 6, De Ocampo 3, David 3, Thoss 2, Norwood 1.
Chinese Taipei (77) – Lu, 23, Chen SC 11, Liu 10, Tien 9, Tsai 8, Chen SN 8, Chen SH 6, Davis 2, Hung 0, Wu 0.
Quarterly Scores: 27-15, 46-34, 73-59, 90-77.
Andray Blatche led for most of the game with a double-double, 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Asi Taulava, despite limited playing time, posted 13 points and six rebounds.
Terrence Romeo and Blatche gave Gilas a comfortable 27-15 lead on the first quarter which continued onto the next as a dominant performance yielded a 46-34 gap.
The 3rd quarter witnessed JC Intal’s incredible dunk, which boosted Gilas’ 19-point lead, with a 58-39 scorecard at the 7:00 mark. Chinese Taipei showed signs of life through Lu Cheng-Ju, Chen Shun-Hsiang and Tsai Wen-Cheng when they scored seven consecutive points to catch up a bit during the third quarter, which ended 73-59.
However, Gilas prevented Chinese Taipei from scoring, as they led by as much as 20 points in the early fourth quarter, but they fought hard just as when Gilas were determined to win the game. Chinese Taipei responded with knocking down three straight triples, cutting down the gap from 17 to 8, as the score registered 83-75. But Ranidel De Ocampo’s first basket answered with a three-point shot, followed by Calvin Abueva who scored a tip-in to make the lead into 13 points. The game ended with Gilas standing triumphant over the Chinese, ending the fourth quarter 90-77.
The Chinese-Taipei did not succeed in winning a single game in the MVP Cup, while Gilas Pilipinas will move on to compete in the FIBA Asia Championship tournament in Changsha, China starting on Sept. 23.'
Scores:
Gilas Pilipinas (90) – Blatche 18, Taulava 13, Romeo 12, Abueva 11, Pingris 8, Hontiveros 7, Ganuelas-Rosser 6, Intal 6, De Ocampo 3, David 3, Thoss 2, Norwood 1.
Chinese Taipei (77) – Lu, 23, Chen SC 11, Liu 10, Tien 9, Tsai 8, Chen SN 8, Chen SH 6, Davis 2, Hung 0, Wu 0.
Quarterly Scores: 27-15, 46-34, 73-59, 90-77.