By Ashley Bercasio
Dwight Ramos led Gilas Pilipinas to a 79-63 victory against India on Sunday, July 3, at the Mall of Asia Arena to cap off the national squad’s FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers third window campaign.
The 6-foot-4 Ramos bounced back from his anemic outing opposite New Zealand last June 30 after dropping 21 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists against the Indians.
Ramos went off in the first quarter, scoring nine points in a quarter that saw the Philippines establish a 21-10 advantage.
Kiefer Ravena and William Navarro backstopped Ramos, recording 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Gilas frontcourt also held its own against the taller Indians as Geo Chui tallied five points and 11 rebounds while Carl Tamayo submitted nine markers and nine boards.
Led by Muin Bek Hafeez’s 13 points, India was able to cut down the lead to 15 in the payoff period but eventually lost steam as they absorbed their fourth loss.
Gilas displayed suffocating defense throughout the game, forcing India to commit 24 turnovers and then converting it to 20 easy points.
New Zealand finished the Group A’s first round with a spotless 4-0 record, followed by Philippines (2-2) and India (0-4). – gb
