GILAS ROMPS THROUGH GUAM IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIER

By Jay Leon Guerrero

The sold-out University of Guam Calvo Field House witnessed a historic moment as Guam competed for a spot in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The Gilas ultimately defeated the home team 87-46.

Guam kept the game close early, tying the score 17-17 after the first quarter, with Jericho Cruz swishing three 3-pointers and Tai Wesley scoring in the paint. However, the popular Filipino team pulled away after halftime, dominating every category in the final two quarters.

GAME BOX SCORE

Philippine head coach Tim Cone noted that the final score was not indicative of how the game was played. “We know they are a strong team. It was a tough battle early in the game, we saw what they did to Syria at the Asia Cup,” said Cone. “We have much respect for them, they played with (Tai) Wesley and Jericho (Cruz) playing strong to start the game.”

Justin Brownlee led the Philippines with 22 points, and Dwight Ramos contributed 10 points and six rebounds. Guam struggled with shooting, finishing at 24 percent from the field.

Guam’s Jonathan Galloway, who finished with two blocks, commented on the loss: “It’s all on us, we have to learn from this and come back better for our next game.” Head coach EJ Calvo added, “This is high level basketball we are playing again and it only gets tougher. We play them next on their home turf on Monday.”

Guam will travel to the Philippines Saturday morning to prepare for Game 2 against Gilas on Monday at the Ateneo University in Manila.

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