This victory gave the Philippines a fifth place finish in the club competition.
Austin ended up with monster numbers of 37 points on 15-for-22 shooting, 15 rebounds, six assists and six blocks. Kiefer Ravena, who’s been consistent all-tournament long, posted 18 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Jett Manuel provided the spark in the fourth quarter where he poured in seven of his 13 points.
Chooks To Go started slow but they gained momentum after the break. They closed out the third period with a 9-2 run to carry a nine-point advantage, 66-57, heading into the pivotal final frame.
Mike Singletary led the fight back of the Thailand team as he scored 10 straight points to open the fourth and cut their deficit down to two, 70-72.
Austin did everything on the floor to keep the Philippines on top. Manuel, with his five straight points at the 4:08 mark, also helped Chooks To Go to widen the gap again, 81-74.
Thailand refused to give up as Singletary hit a crucial trey that put them within four points, 79-83, with over three minutes left. That was the closest they got, however, as Ravena and Austin put the finishing kick for the Philippines.
Mono Vampire heated up from beyond the arc in the first frame, pushing them ahead by six at the end of the period, 28-22.
In contrast, Chooks To Go struggled to connect from deep as they only knocked down three of their 23 attempts in the game.
The Filipinos managed to inch within a single point, 38-39, after Austin hit the team’s first three-pointer in the latter part of the second quarter.
At the half, the do-it-all big man already produced 19 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, but the Philippines still trailed by three, 42-45. They relied on their second-half surge to bounce back and secure the victory.
THE SCORES
CHOOKS-TO-GO 89 – Austin 37, Ravena 18, Manuel 13, Jose 8, Cruz 7, Teng 4, Revilla 2, Torres 0, Tamsi 0.
MONO VAMPIRE 78 – Singletary 30, Chanthachon 14, Brickman 14, Klahan 9, Apiromvilaichai 5, Sekteera 3, Phuangla 2, Samerjai 2, Sunthonsiri 0, Boonserm 0, Kruatiwa 0.
Quarterscores: 22-28, 42-45, 66-57, 89-78.
EXTRA DRIBBLES
– Austin’s best performance before this game was also against Mono Vampire in the group stage, where he tallied 27 points, 19 rebounds, and four blocks.
– Despite shooting a lot worse from downtown (3-for-23), Chooks To Go still finished with a decent 47.4 percent shooting clip, while limiting Mono Vampire to just 37.5 percent.
SOURCE: http://sports.tv5.com.ph/labanpilipinas/article/chooks-to-go-pilipinas-finishes-in-fifth-place-behind-austins-37-point-15-rebound-performance
