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Trailing by four inside the last seven minutes, the Filipinos flexed their collective muscle in a 21-3 run that eventually ended as a gutsy 86-72 win over the Dreamers of Taiwan on Friday at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex here.
Seven different players got together in what proved to be the pivotal push that ultimately sent the Philippines to a 3-0 start in its title defense.
Down 65-69 with 6:56 remaining, all of Ethan Alvano, Caelan Tiongson, Ray Parks Jr., Renaldo Balkman, PJ Ramos, Pao Javelona, and Lo Domingo each had made baskets while also shackling down their opponents to just one field goal and one free throw the rest of the way.
The two teams were going toe-to-toe for majority of the matchup that featured 13 lead changes and 12 tied tallies.
With their backs against the wall, though, Alab showed much character and went on an unbelievable tear that kept their spotless slate intact.
In the end, Balkman did it all with 19 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, one block, and one steal while fellow Puerto Rican reinforcement Ramos had his own 16 markers, seven boards, and three dimes.
Parks Jr. turned in his best game of the tournament thus far with 13 points and four rebounds while Javelona was a pleasant surprise off the bench with 11 markers and three assists.
The Filipinos now turn their attention to another top team in Singapore on Sunday at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
On the other hand, Formosa falls for the second time in a row following six straight wins to start the season.
BOX SCORES
ALAB PILIPINAS 86 – Balkman 19, Ramos 16, Parks 13, Javelona 11, Tiongson 6, Domingo 6, Urbiztondo 6, Rosser 5.
FORMOSA DREAMERS 72 – Miller 23, Artino 14, Glass 14, Chien 11, Tien 5, Wu 3, Lee 2, Chen 0, Cheng 0.
QUARTER SCORES: 14-20, 39-39, 63-60, 86-72.
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