Gilas nears ACQ sweep with rout of Indonesia

Balti Baltazar put up his best game yet in a Gilas uniform. FIBA/Paul Ryan Tan

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Gilas Pilipinas moved to within a win from completing a sweep of Group A play in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers after drubbing Indonesia, 76-51, on Friday night at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center.

Similar to Gilas' nail biting win against South Korea on Wednesday night, Gilas needed a strong second half to pull away from Indonesia.

In a far cry from the usual, Gilas struggled offensively in the first half as Indonesia held them to only a shade under 28 percent from the field.

The Indons, however, had their own sluggish moments in the first 20 minutes, and Gilas entered halftime ahead, 30-22.

Gilas finally got its offensive game going in the second half, outscoring Indonesia, 46-29, to broke loose for good.

Balti Baltazar and Ange Kouame each scored 11 points to lead Gilas, which moved up to 5-0 in the standings.

Dwight Ramos added a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds with one assist and three steals.

In his Gilas debut, Lebron Lopez made both his two field goal attempts and finished with eight points alongside five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.

Gilas can complete the sweep if it beats South Korea again on Sunday.

Lester Prosper put up 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, eight rebounds, and four blocks for Indonesia, which fell to 1-4.

Box Scores:

Philippines 76-Baltazar 11, Kouame 11, Ramos 10, Abarrientos 9, Lopez 8, Sotto 7, Tamayo 6, Gomez De Liano 4, Chiu 4, Heading 3, Belangel 3, Go 0

Indonesia 51-Prosper 22, Grahita 8, Dhyaksa 8, Goantara 6, Wisnu 4, Kokodiputra 3, Sitorus 0, Noor 0, Kosasih 0, Saputra 0, Teja 0

Quarterscores: 15-11, 30-22, 51-36, 76-51

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno