GILAS Pilipinas showed a glimpse of what it can do with a complete roster, beating Ivory Coast, 85-62, in their friendly on Friday night held behind closed-door at the Philsports Arena.
Jordan Clarkson proved to be the spark for the Philippine team as he carried the load for Gilas early on, before June Mar Fajardo took care of business in the second half when the host pulled away for good in the final quarter.
The 31-year-old Clarkson finished with 13 points - all in the first quarter - and six rebounds in his first game with Gilas since the fourth window of the World Cup qualifiers last year.
Fajardo also had 13 for the host country, which got a combined 22 points from the young frontcourt duo of AJ Edu and Kai Sotto, who played in his first tuneup with Gilas since joining from the NBA Summer League.
The African side kept Gilas close for the entire opening frame behind an early nine-point output from big man Bazoumana Kone.
But in his lone scoring quarter, Clarkson steered Gilas to a slim three-point margin at 27-24.
The game remained close until the final frame when the troika of Edu, Fajardo, and captain Scottie Thompson sparked Gilas' game-ending 25-9 run.
Thompson, back from a right hand metacarpal fracture, was also a solid presence in the Gilas backcourt, accounting for 11 points.
The trio of Calvin Oftana, Bobby Ray Parks, and Thirdy Ravena were not fielded in the first of three tune-up matches for Gilas by the coaching staff.
Gilas will next face 18th ranked Montenegro on Sunday, followed by Mexico on Monday.
Both Montenegro and Mexico are playing in Manila in the group phase, while Ivory Coast will travel to Jakarta, Indonesia prior to the start of the World Cup on Aug. 25.
#TUNEUP FINAL
— Gilas Pilipinas Army (@gilasarmy) August 18, 2023
85 - Gilas Pilipinas
62 - Ivory Coast
Next games:
August 20 - vs Montenegro
August 21 - vs Mexico#GilasPilipinas pic.twitter.com/UyBinGjdSL
