Fiery start

Game on Monday:

(Blue Eagle Gym)

5 p.m. — Gilas Pilipinas vs Guam

It was a road game that didn’t feel like one for Gilas Pilipinas.

Gilas torched Guam with relentless, fiery offense for an emphatic 87-46 rout to start the opening window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Friday in front of a huge and loud Filipino crowd at the Calvo Fieldhouse in Yigo Village.

The Filipinos bucked a sluggish first quarter, used a huge rally to create separation in the second period, and came up with a stronger second half that left Guam reeling.

Naturalized player Justin Brownlee led world No. 37 Gilas’ assault with 22 points on 8-of-15 field goal shooting. Dwight Ramos added 10 points as all 12 Gilas players fielded by head coach Tim Cone submitted points.

June Mar Fajardo had eight points and 10 rebounds, AJ Edu added eight points and eight boards, while center Quentin Millora-Brown debuted with six points and 10 rebounds for the Nationals.

The Philippine squad will host Guam for the last leg of the home-and-away tie on Monday at the Blue Eagle Gym inside the Ateneo de Manila University campus.

Gilas clamped down on defense in the second half, limiting Guam to just seven points in the third period and just 10 in the payoff quarter while erecting a gap that went as much as 44 points.

“Towards the end of the first half, we kinda got our rhythm. We came out in the second half, defended really well and stretched the lead. And that ended up being the game,” Cone said.

Trailing, 24-25, in the second canto after San Miguel Beer star Jericho Cruz, Gilas unleashed a 16-4 run to enter the intermission with a 40-29 advantage.

Gilas picked up from where it left off in the first half with a 6-0 start in the third quarter that zapped the fight out of Guam.

Carl Tamayo gave Gilas its biggest advantage, 87-43, with a three-pointer in the last 33 seconds of the lopsided affair.

“The score didn’t indicate it but we have tremendous respect for the Guam team,” Cone said.

Guam, behind Cruz, gave Gilas a lot of problems in the first quarter, which ended up tied at 17.

“I came in with a lot of trepidation, but we know they lost three players from the Asia Cup,” Cone said.

“So, we knew they’re a little shorthanded but that didn’t stop us from having a lot of trepidation coming in here to play.”

“That first quarter was you know, Jericho Cruz, whom we know really well because he plays in our league, he went off like nine points in the first quarter and 15 in the first half and we didn’t have any answer for him,” he added.

Cruz finished with 17 points to pace the 81st-ranked Guam. Tai Wesley had 12 points while Jonathan Galloway added eight points and eight boards.