Gilas Pilipinas seeks a place in the semifinals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament when it takes on Dominican Republic early Friday, July 2 at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia.
Fresh from almost scoring an upset win over host Serbia, the young Gilas contingent looks to carry that momentum into the 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 a.m. Manila time) match against a Dominican Republic side which had the luxury of a one-day rest.
But with the quick turnaround, team captain Isaac Go is hoping that Gilas can remedy some of the things that contributed in Serbia’s escape act.
“That’s tournament basketball, you don’t get a lot of days off and there’s a quick turnaround. So for some of the guys who felt the frustration of the other game, they have a chance to play well tomorrow,” said Go.
Fans back home are expected to once again be part of “Team Puyatan,” this time with the hope of scoring a victory following a commendable showing against the world No. 5 team the previous night.
Still, the performance in its first assignment in Belgrade doesn’t mean that Dominican Republic won’t give an inch against Gilas.
Like Gilas, Dominican Republic flirted at a possible upset of Serbia through the first three quarters before succumbing to a 94-76 decision last Tuesday.
Victor Liz, who is 35 years old, was one of the top performers for the Caribbean nation with 16 points and nine rebounds while Michael Torres Cuevas and Gelvis Solano could also pose problems for Gilas.
A bruising battle is being seen in the “win or go home” affair, but it would be key for Gilas if it can continue the positives from the Serbia game like the ability of Ange Kouame, Kai Sotto and Justine Baltazar to control the boards, Jordan Heading making his outside shots and if SJ Belangel and RJ Abarrientos can be more consistent while manning the offense.
Dwight Ramos is once again expected to miss the match since his groin injury is something coach Tab Baldwin would rather want to heal up in time for the FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia.