Clarkson leads Gilas to 38-point rout of Saudi Arabia
Published on August 29, 2022

Gilas Pilipinas Men earned a dominant 84-46 victory over Saudi Arabia in front of a jam-packed home crowd for a triumphant end to the fourth window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers Monday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. 

Jordan Clarkson scored a game-high 23 points, including five 3-pointers, on top of five rebounds and six assists in his first home game with Gilas. Kai Sotto also had a solid double-double outing of 16 points and 13 boards to go with four blocks. 

Dwight Ramos added nine points and six rebounds, while Japeth Aguilar and Kiefer Ravena tallied eight points apiece. 

“The one thing that we wanted to focus on before the game was to just get better, to play better than our previous game against Lebanon,” Gilas head coach Chot Reyes said. “And that meant having better effort, specifically cutting down on our turnovers.”

Gilas overcame a slow opening quarter where they only scored 11 points, including a Clarkson halfcourt triple at the buzzer. The Filipinos’ offense eventually found its way in the second period, outscoring Saudi Arabia, 26-14, to take a nine-point halftime lead. 

Thanks to a number of highlight plays and momentum-shifting runs, the game broke open in the second half. Gilas took full control and left no room for an upset. The lead ballooned to as many as 40 points as the national team defended its home court with nearly 20,000 people in attendance.

“I think we did a good job. The emphasis we put on ourselves from the last game, I think we accomplished that. I think we made some adjustments,” Clarkson said. “They were trying to slow us down … so we couldn’t go out and run and get opportunities when we’re on the open floor. Coach made a good adjustment picking them up, changing the pace of the game really helped us.”

Gilas owned the shaded area, outrebounding their opponent, 55-38, while getting 38 points in the paint. They also leaned on 20 points each from turnovers and fastbreak opportunities, capitalizing on every mistake by Saudi Arabia. 

Defense was also key for Gilas as they held the visitors to an abysmal 23.5 percent shooting from the field. No Saudi Arabia player breached double-figures with the trio of Khalid M Abdel Gabar, Mathna Almarwani, and Musab Tariq M Kabdi netting nine points each.

The Philippines improved to a 3-3 record in the qualifiers while Saudi Arabia dropped to 1-5 in Group E play.