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Tim Cone says Gilas 'kind of lost heart' in second half vs Australia
Gilas Pilipinas stayed within striking distance for much of the first half against Australia but any momentum it built vanished after halftime, resulting in a 92-49 blowout loss on Monday night in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
The world No. 6 Boomers unloaded a 16-0 run in the first quarter that turned an 8-all deadlock into a 24-8 lead. However, the Filipinos, bolstered by a strong performance from June Mar Fajardo, managed to narrow the gap to 14 points by halftime, 41-27.
But from that point on, things went south for Gilas Pilipinas.
"We felt within the second quarter we were defending well. But then started the second half, (we) made some early errors, stretched that lead right back to 20-22 within the first minute or two of the third quarter," Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone said.
"And I think we just kind of lost heart at that time."
Bryce Cotton was one of the Australian players who gave Gilas a headache. The six-time NBL MVP, who is actually making his national team debut in this window, punished Gilas early with 14 points in the first period alone to spark the early breakaway.
He finished with a game-high 21 points, four assists, and two rebounds, contributing to the 43-point defeat of the Philippines.
"Cotton came out and changed the game," Cone said of the 33-year-old Aussie star.
"He's one of the superior athletes. He's incredibly quick, gets off the floor fast on his jump shot. You know, we were supposed to switch some of the screens he was getting, and we weren't getting to the proper switch. We weren't executing well."
While it was Cotton taking charge early, NBA player Tyrese Proctor took it home for the Boomers by scoring all 16 of his points in the second half.
Gilas managed only 10 field goals over the final two quarters, scoring only 22 points in total. In contrast, Australia erupted for 51 points over the same stretch.
The Philippines also turned the ball over 12 times in the second half, allowing the Boomers to convert on 30 points off those turnovers.
"We felt okay going into halftime after playing the second quarter. We were shell-shocked coming out, you know, playing on the road, coming off a tough game (against New Zealand)."
—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News
