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| Gilas' early tough defense on Japan gave the team a good start, but the turnovers and offensive rebounds nearly spelled its doom. FIBA (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--Gilas may be a tall team on paper as far as the big men are concerned, but spitfire guard Jayson Castro rued for giving up a bunch of offensive rebounds on Japan on Friday night in Tokyo.
Japan grabbed 13 offensive rebounds with naturalized player Ira Brown accounted for six of them despite giving up up to seven inches in height, leading to 13 second chance points.
While Gilas did grab 13 offensive boards as well, they were only converted to 10 points off putbacks.
Castro also expressed his dismay on the 15 turnovers Gilas committed the entire game, seven of which were unforced errors.
Luckily for Gilas, Japan failed to capitalize on the turnovers, only making eight markers off those errors.
Still, Castro had this to say, "We need to limit our turnovers."
Gilas has a chance to make up on those mistakes as the team returns to action on Monday night against Chinese Taipei.
Gilas will be playing at home for the first time in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers with the 7:30 p.m. match set at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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