Aguilar puts on shooting clinic as Gilas trip Saudi 5 in Champions Cup

Japeth Aguilar came through with a superb shooting display as Pilipinas-Smart Gilas trounced Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, 101-69, Saturday night in the 2011 FIBA-Asia Champions Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

Aguilar was the reflection of Gilas' proficient shooting, scoring 20 points to lead the Nationals to their first win in the week-long tournament. He never missed in his 10 shots until in the 1:29 mark when the outcome of the game has already decided. Gilas shot 43-of-70 from the field, including 38-of-58 from the two-point area and five-of-12 from three-point distance. "It was a good game for us. We played almost the same as in our tune-up game against them prior to the tournament. We knew that we are the better team," said Gilas coach Rajko Toroman. Chris Tiu's alley-hoop pass to Aguilar, who finished the play with a slam, highlighted the Nationals' second-quarter break away. Gilas closed out with a 22-4 run to turn a 23-all count to a 45-31 halftime spread. Tiu again found Aguilar for a fastbreak jam in the third as Gilas continued to pour it on outscoring Al Ittihad, 33-16, for a 78-47 edge. "I was trying to play aggressive. We worked really hard in practice. But this is just the first game, we expect a tough competition here," said Aguilar. Marcus Douthit missed just one attempt (8-of-9) to finish with 18 points. Marcio Lassiter had 15 markers including a perfect 3-of-3 from rainbow country. Dondon Hontiveros, ironically, struggled from the field as the Air21 sniper registered 1-of-11 from the field for only two points. "The real Dondon will show up in the next games," said Toroman. The Saudis kept the game close, 13-11, behind Ali Almaghrabi's back-to-back triples. But Gilas orchestrated an 8-3 finish to finish the opening period with a 19-16 edge and were never threatened after that. Al Ittihad's Serbian import Vladislav Dragajlovic had 18 points despite arriving in Manila Friday night. Gilas will next face Westport KL Dragons, coached by Filipino Ariel Vanguardia, on Sunday at 6 p.m. – Reuben Terrado, JVP, GMA News