Charmie Lising 5y

Gilas Pilipinas scores impressive win over Meralco in tune-up game

Gilas Pilipinas ended its preparation on home soil on a high note, cruising past the Meralco Bolts, 100-82, in its lone tune-up game ahead of the sixth window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers Friday morning at the Meralco Gym.

Marcio Lassiter sparked a huge third-quarter run that allowed Gilas to build a 26-point cushion. RR Pogoy also caught fire to help the national team sustain its momentum heading into the fourth.

June Mar Fajardo nailed back-to-back jumpers and a free throw to extend the lead to 28 points with roughly three minutes left in the game.

The Bolts closed out the match with 10 straight points but Gilas still came away with an 18-point victory.

Pogoy topped with 21 points, while Lassiter added 14 points. June Mar Fajardo and Troy Rosario also finished in double-digits with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

"We'd like to thank Meralco for making themselves available," Gilas head coach Yeng Guiao said. "At least even without Andray [Blatche], we've seen that the guys are blending well. We played good defense and I hope it can translate to our games."

Paul Lee did not suit up to rest his knee but he'll be ready to play in the final window.

Gilas will fly out to Doha on Saturday and hold twice-a-day practices before its game against Qatar on February 21 (midnight, February 22 in Manila). The following day, the team will head straight to Astana for its game against Kazakhstan on February 24. Both matches will be shown live on ESPN5 with streaming on ESPN5.com.

Currently fourth with a 5-5 record in Group E, Gilas is in a precarious position and a sweep of their last two assignments would boost their chances of qualifying for the 2019 FIBA World Cup later this year in China.

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