Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Gilas Pilipinas held the fort in their first home fixture in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, 90-83, against Chinese Taipei on Monday evening.
Jayson Castro topscored the home side with 20 markers, while June Mar Fajardo notched a national team career-high of 17 points.
The Philippines endured a torrid start, trailing Chinese-Taipei by as much as 17-3 in the opening frame.
June Mar Fajardo attempted to key a Gilas run to close the gap, but only managed to trim it to 23-18 at the end of the first quarter.
A Calvin Abueva steal led to a Kiefer Ravena breakaway lay-in, to give the Philippines their first taste of the lead, 28-27, at the 7:12 mark of the second frame.
But a Jhen Huang trey gave the lead back to the visitors, 37-36, with 3:24 left in the first half.
The Filipinos were able to regain the lead before the halftime interval, cradling a precarious 44-42 cushion into the break.
The hosts were having difficulty putting Chinese Taipei away, who kept breathing down the Filipinos’ necks at the start of the second half.
Gilas were finally able to create a little separation through an 8-0 run in the middle of the third quarter, but Chinese Taipei quickly recovered to tie the game at 58-all with 2:54 before the payoff period.
The Philippines wrestled back possession of the lead before the fourth quarter, but only managed to secure a 65-64 cushion.
A pair of Matthew Wright triples and a Calvin Abueva deuce saw Gilas build up a 73-66 advantage, but another Gilas dry spell saw Chinese Taipei get close once again, 73-72, to pressure the hosts.
The Philippines managed to clamp down on the visitors in the final minutes of the game, outscoring them 17-11 for the remainder of the contest to preserve their perfect start.
Naturalized player Quincy Davis led Chinese Taipei with 20 points and nine rebounds.
It was a tough battle, but Gilas head coach Chot Reyes says that he is happy to get through the first international window unscathed.
“Well obviously we are happy because we found a way to grind out two W’s despite not being nowhere near 100% in our game,“ Reyes said.
Gilas will return to action on February 22, 2018 when they play Australia.
