Tab Baldwin rues Gilas' 'disappointing 2nd half' vs. Dominican Republic

Tab Baldwin admitted that Gilas was outplayed by the Dominican Republic in the second half. FIBA
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—With a spot in the semifinals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament on the line, Gilas Pilipinas went all out against Dominican Republic at least in the first half and the early goings of the third quarter of their knockout game early Friday (Philippine Time) at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade.

But the Dominicans zapped the Filipinos later in the third and pulled away for good in the fourth to score the semifinal clinching 94-67 win.

[Related Story: Dominican Republic knocks out Gilas from OQT contention with rout]

"I don't think the first half was indicative of really what the Dominican Republic is all about," Tab Baldwin rued after the game. "In the second half, they came out very physical. They came out to make a statement against us."

He further said, "We didn't stand up to the pressure. We didn't execute what we can and should execute under the pressure. It was a very disappointing second half for us.

Baldwin then conceded, "We were outplayed, out-coached, and outgunned, so you got to give Dominican credit for the way that they played and doing what they had to do to win convincingly."

With the tough loss, Baldwin vows that Gilas will bounce back tougher.

"We have many things to learn from this," he further said.

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