Gilas pound Chinese Taipei to notch 2nd win in Jones Cup

Riding the momentum of their upset win over powerhouse Iran, Smart Gilas Pilipinas played inspired ballgame in pounding out a 90-78 victory over host Chinese-Taipei to earn a share of the top spot in the Jones Cup basketball tournament at the Sinjhuang Stadium at the New Taipei City. The Nationals again leaned on the strong inside presence of 6' 11" naturalized player Marcus Douthit, who topscored for 22 points, including 14 in the first half. The win was the second straight for the Nationals, tying them with Jordan and South Korea on top of the nine-team field. It came less than 24 hours after Smart Gilas stunned Hamed Haddadi and the Iranians, 73-59, in the opener of the annual cage meet being held in honor of the late FIBA secretary general. Both the Jordanians and Koreans marched to their second straight wins earlier with a pair of lopsided victories. The Jordanians whipped Malaysia, 93-63, while the Koreans downed United Arab Emirates, 102-54. Smart Gilas will next face Jordan in a battle between unbeaten ball clubs. Notwithstanding the spotty officiating in favor of the host, the Nationals emerged on top after the opening half, 49-36. Douthit was again a tower of presence inside the paint for Smart Gilas, scoring 14 points in two quarters, including 11 in the first period. A strong 6-0 blast to end the first half gave the Nationals that 13-point spread. Marcio Lassiter sparked the run with a lay up, and Dondon Hontiveros capped it with a booming trey at the buzzer. -- OMG, GMA News