Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — Showing the stuff that won them the silver medal in last year's FIBA Asia Championship, the Gilas Pilipinas Nationals defeated the PBA All-Stars, 101-93, Sunday night at the Mall of Asia Arena in the culminating event of the 25th PBA All-Star Week. The PBA All-Stars, coached by San Mig's Tim Cone, gave Gilas a tough fight but yielded eventually to the superior firepower and cohesion of the Chot Reyes-mentored squad that will represent the Philippines in the FIBA World Cup in Spain and the Asian Games in South Korea later this year. Gilas asserted its might in the third quarter, erecting an 18-point lead, 82-64, heading into the final quarter. With Cone fielding a big lineup to start the fourth period, the All-Stars managed to chop the deficit to 12 points, 71-83. But Gilas came roaring back to regain their 18-point edge, 95-77. Cone adjusted his lineup anew, fielding this time a bunch of small and athletic players. This allowed the All-Stars to cut the Gilas lead to just 10 points, 100-90. The All-Stars could have come closer but Chris Ellis missed an easy layup with 1:45 remaining as Gilas coasted to victory. Sharpshooters Jeff Chan and Gary David led the Gilas offensive onslaught, draining a combined seven three-point shots in the game. Chan topped all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting while David banged in nine of his 15 points, including two three-pointers, in the second half to win All-Star Game MVP honors. June Mar Fajardo finished with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Jayson Castro added 12 points, five rebounds and two assists. Naturalized center Marcus Douthit chipped in 10 points. Gilas shot a scorching 49 percent from the field against the All-Stars' 43 percent clip. The Nationals also had more assists, 28 to 16. The All-Stars, which held Gilas to a 124-all standoff in last year's All-Star game in Digos City, Davao de Sur, were led by Marcio Lassiter with 12 points and Greg Slaughter's double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. PJ Simon and Arwind Santos chipped in nine points apiece. Gilas won a token 100,000-peso prize courtesy of the PBA Board of Governors. The All-Stars did not come out with empty pockets though as they defeated the Gilas Nationals in the pre-game dance showdown, winning 50,000 pesos. An interesting sidelight of the match was the first meeting between the PBA's two young dominant centers – the seven-foot Slaughter and the 6'10” Fajardo. It was their first time to tangle with each other in the PBA after Fajardo missed two games for his San Miguel Beer squad this season against Slaughter's Barangay Ginebra. The two giants went toe-to-toe against each other throughout the match although Fajardo played more minutes. Slaughter and Fajardo both started their basketball careers in Cebu, where they became top rivals in the collegiate league. The scores: Gilas Pilipinas 101 - Chan 17, David 15, Fajardo 13, Castro 12, Douthit 10, De Ocampo 7, Norwood 7, Aguilar 7, Lee 5, Dillinger 4, Fonacier 3, Pingris 1, Alapag 0, Tenorio 0, Belga 0 PBA All-Stars 93 - Lassiter 12, Slaughter 11, Santos 9, Simon 9, Yap 8, Barroca 8, Thoss 8, Ellis 7, Baracael 6, Devance 6, Abueva 6, Canaleta 3 Quarters: 28-23, 49-42, 82-64, 101-93 Games Wednesday: Air21 vs. San Mig Coffee and Talk N Text vs. Rain or Shine.
