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Chot Reyes praises Gilas fans in Jeddah for giving 'a lot of energy'

The Filipino fans in Jeddah trooped to the King Abdullah Sports City, and Gilas repaid their support with a win. FIBA
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—While it was an official home game for Saudi Arabia, the atmosphere at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah early Monday (Philippine Time) was as if was Gilas Pilipinas actually hosting their FIBA World Cup Qualifiers game.

A good number of Filipinos based in Saudi trooped to the arena to watch Gilas in action.

The fans were quickly given a treat right at the first made field goal of the game when Kai Sotto was left all alone for the monster dunk that literally rattled the backboard.

Eventually, despite a great performance from Saudi Arabia, Gilas walked away with a 76-63 win thanks in part to the support the Filipino squad got from their fans in Jeddah.

"I think we got a lot of energy from the crowd. They really gave us a huge boost," Coach Chot Reyes said after the game.

Gilas started slowly as Saudi looked to be on track of a major upset early on, but with the crowd with them, Gilas got their game going especially in the second half.

"They just wouldn't allow us to lose until we hit our stride and finally hit some shots in the third quarter," Reyes said.

As the final buzzer sounded, Gilas fans may have walked back to their homes smiling before saying "Night night!"

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno

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