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Benched for the entire first half, Kevin Quiambao provides quality minutes for Gilas Pilipinas as he ignites a fourth-quarter comeback in a loss to Chinese Taipei
MANILA, Philippines – Kevin Quiambao was the silver lining in Gilas Pilipinas’ opening loss in the FIBA Asia Cup as he proved his ability to contribute when given the opportunity.
Benched for the entire first half, Quiambao still produced 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, albeit in a 95-87 defeat to Chinese Taipei on Tuesday, August 5 (Wednesday, August 6, Manila time).
It was his highest scoring performance for the senior national team, with the two-time UAAP MVP shooting 6-of-10 from the field and sparking a fourth-quarter comeback that ultimately fell short.
“Kevin played very, very well and he was the highlight of the team,” said Philippines head coach Tim Cone.
Quiambao poured 13 points in the final period as the Filipinos nearly erased a double-digit deficit.
The Philippines trailed 62-73 through the first three quarters before Quiambao scored 8 points in a 12-7 run that cut their deficit to two possessions.
But after Quiambao hit a three-pointer that pulled the Filipinos within 74-80, naturalized star Justin Brownlee picked up his fifth and final foul — his exit allowing the Taiwanese to restore their lead back to double digits.
Quiambao scored 5 more points to slash the Chinese Taipei lead to 90-83 with a minute left, although time was not on the Philippines’ side.
“He came out and played with a lot of energy, hit some big shots for us,” Cone said of Quiambao.
He added: “Still, we came up short. We were playing from our heels so we were trying to rush back into the game and took a lot of ill-advised shots and made a lot of ill-advised fouls.”
With Cone looking for more offensive options to prevent teams’ defenses from focusing on Brownlee, it would not be a surprise if Quiambao gets more minutes when the Philippines battles New Zealand on Thursday, August 7.
Quiambao is up for the challenge.
“I always tell myself to stay ready,” Quiambao told One Sports. – Rappler.com
