Baltazar shows off range as Gilas routs Saudis for King's Cup breakthrough

Justine Baltazar

Justine Baltazar (208-PF-97) showed off his sky-high potential and versatility in Jordan as Gilas Pilipinas thwarted Saudi Arabia, 77-62, for a breakthrough win in the King Abdullah Cup on Tuesday, July 27. The La Salle big-man-turned-wing scored 11 of his 16 points in the first half as the national team mounted a 43-30 halftime lead, rectifying its slow start last game. In that span, Baltazar sank two of his triples, finishing with a 4-of-4 clip from downtown overall. Gilas kept the pressure up deep into the second half and peaked with a 20-point lead, 69-49, off a layup from Dwight Ramos (193-G-98), who finished with another all-around line of 7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Although the Saudis gave the Filipinos a good scare with a 10-0 response to bridge the gap to just 10, 59-69, it became a case of too little, too late as Gilas shut them down with a final rally towards the buzzer. Coming off a lackluster shooting game against Egypt where it shot 4-of-27 from deep for 14%, Gilas showed flashes of its adaption to the modern game with a superb 12-of-28 clip from downtown, or 42%, this time around. That is nearly half of the Filipinos' made field goals as they finished 27-of-65, or 41% overall. Like Baltazar, big man Isaac Go likewise had a green light from deep, albeit finishing with just a 2-of-8 clip for 10 points. Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-C-98) led the losing effort with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting, while Khalid Abdel Gabar backstopped him with 12 markers on a perfect 4-of-4 clip. Gilas looks to build up from this shooting exhibition as it faces Jordan Team B next on 9 pm on Wednesday, July 28, Manila time, in this week-long tournament.
Courtesy of: rappler.com

Tags : JUSTINE BALTAZAR, PHILIPPINES NATIONAL TEAM, FILIPINO BASKETBALL