Gilas Pilipinas stuns Chinese Taipei A for 1st Jones Cup win

The Philippines bounced back from an opening day loss with a gritty 88-72 victory over home team Chinese Taipei A on Sunday in the William Jones Cup basketball tournament.

Gilas Pilipinas dominated most of the game courtesy of a strong start powered by Matthew Wright, but had to contend with a fierce Taiwanese comeback in the fourth period.

Chinese Taipei threatened to within eight points, before Kiefer Ravena nailed a desperation three-pointer to beat the shot clock that gave Gilas an 80-69 advantage with 3:15 left in the game.

That sparked a 9-0 run that proved to be the finishing kick for the Philippine squad.

The young Gilas squad, powered by PBA rookies and amateur stars, showed tremendous resilience after losing its opening assignment on Saturday against Canada.

The Philippines will take on Chinese Taipei's B team on Monday. Gilas will play nine games in as many days in the 10-team competition, which the team is using to prepare for a pair of tournaments next month. --JST, GMA News