Gilas Pilipinas couldn’t get previous an undermanned Lithuania squad after absorbing a 90-80 loss of their tuneup encounter on Tuesday night time in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee was among the many few brilliant spots for the nationals, ending with a team-high 20 factors alongside seven rebounds, two assists, and 4 blocks.
Jamie Malonzo was one rebound away from a double-double because the Ginebra high-flyer dropped 14 markers and 9 boards laced with two dimes whereas massive man June Mar Fajardo chipped in 13 factors and three rebounds.
Gilas head coach Chot Reyes mentioned they utilized totally different mixtures of gamers on the courtroom as they proceed their essential buildup for the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila.
“First of all, we tried a different lineup this time, a different combination so we tried to start Justin at the three spot and we wanted to start Japeth at the four spot as he’s been playing five the past few games,” he mentioned.
“But now that we have Ange (Kouame) here, we wanted to play Japeth a little bit at four. Obviously, it didn’t work because they (Lithuania) got off to a 17-1 start.”
Brownlee and Malonzo’s stellar video games weren’t sufficient, although, as Lithuania was in a position to escape regardless of having solely eight gamers within the discipline.
Tomas Zdanavicius confirmed the way in which for the hosts with 25 factors, seven rebounds, and 4 assists whereas Vytautas Sulskis chimed in with 19 markers and 9 boards.
The loss marked Gilas’ third loss in its European camp because it beforehand fell to Estonia and Finland whereas coming away with victories twice in opposition to the Ukraine U-20 squad. Still, Reyes seems on the positives from the newest defeat.
“But the good thing is that’s part of why we’re here—to figure out different combinations [and] different lineups.”
—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
