Jimmy Alapag drives to the basket in their exhibition match against Qatar. (Vyn Radovan/FCF)

GAME FRIDAY (September 9, 2011)
Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City
7:00pm – Jordan vs. Qatar

An undermanned Smart Gilas-Pilipinas ran past the competition in the first day of a pocket tournament that serves as the final tuneup to their 2011 FIBA Asia Championship campaign on Thursday night at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

The nationals won a 69-52 decision in their first assignment against a very physical and springy Qatar five.

Photo by Vyn Radovan/FCF

Jimmy Alapag, loaned by pro ballclub Talk ‘N Text for their upcoming quest to gain a spot in the 2012 London Olympics, led all scorers with 11 points. Forward Ranidel de Ocampo, also loaned by the Tropang Texters, added 9 points.

Gilas mainstays Marcio Lassiter and Dylan Ababou had 8 and 7 points apiece in qualtity minutes on the court.

The Gilas boys made their living off fastbreak plays following tight defensive stops, the Nationals ran off to a commanding 21-6 start that set the tone for a one-sided affair.

Though virtually smaller than the towering Qataris, the Filipinos made their living in the paint and outscoring the opposition 26-14. Gilas had a healthy balance in terms of scoring from both their starters and reserves, which gave the coaching staff a bevy of instant options in the match.

Coach Rajko Toroman noted that a lot of his players, including guards Alapag (ribs) and JV Casio (knee) have not really maintained their presence in practice due to their respective injuries. He stressed that these games will only serve as a warmup to their upcoming games in Wuhan, China later this month.

Casio, the former De La Salle Green Archer and number 1 overall draft choice by Powerade in this year’s PBA Rookie Draft, sat out of the game due to the knee injury he sustained during their recent stint in the 2011 William Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei.

Saeed Ali finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds before fouling out, while Erfan Ali Saeed added 9 points and 11 rebounds in a losing cause.

The Philippine contingent next faces Jordan, who booted out the Philippines in the quarterfinals in the 2009 FIBA Asia Championships in Tianjin, China and would eventually wind up in third place.

BOX SCORE
PHILIPPINES (69): Alapag 11, De Ocampo 9, Lassiter 8, Ababou 7, Tiu 6, Douthit 6, Lutz 6, Williams 5, Barroca 5, Aguilar 4, Taulava 2, Baracael 0, Ballesteros 0
QATAR (52): S. Ali 10, Saeed 9, Hassan 8, El Hadary 8, A. Ali 8, Ndour 7, Salem 2, Ndiaye 0
Quarters: 21-6, 33-18, 57-32, 69-52