FIBA World Cup 2019: Angola holds off gutsy Gilas Pilipinas five
Foshan, China – Angola finally earned its first win but needed an extra five minutes to defeat the Philippines, 84-81, in Group D action of the 2019 FIBA World Cup over at the Foshan International Sports & Cultural Center.
The game took a different twist in the fourth period with Gilas Pilipinas rediscovering its confidence against the Angolans. The Filipinos actually had a chance to win it outright but a miscommunication on the remaining seconds forced CJ Perez to hoist up a shot from beyond the three-point arc.
Angola kept the Philippines at bay on numerous occasions but the Filipinos still managed to mount a comeback. They enjoyed leads by as much as 12 points.
Perez continued his superb performance, providing the energy especially in the third and fourth periods. With fatigue setting in, the Columbian Dyip star faded in the overtime period.
Valdelicio Joaquim led the way for Angola with 20 points and seven rebounds. Yanick Moreira chipped in 12 points of his own but hauled down a game-high 15 rebounds.
Angola shot 41-percent from the field making 29 of their 71 attempts. They also sank 9 of their 25 attempts from three-point region for a 36-percent clip.
Andray Blatche unleashed his best game so far in the tournament, finishing with a game-high 23 points to go with 12 rebounds. Perez backed him up with 17 points and seven rebounds.
