GILAS Pilipinas quickly got a feel of the kind of competition awaiting it in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila three weeks from now.
The national team failed to contain a hot-shooting Turkey side and dropped a 103-68 decision in their tune-up match early Wednesday morning (Manila time) in Istanbul.
The Filipinos never got going in the game the moment they fell behind early, 30-19,as the sizzling outside snipping by the eight-ranked Turkish led by back-up wingman Birzan Batuk proved too hot to handle.
By the half, Gilas was already staring at a 57-32 deficit after being outscored in the second quarter, 27-13.
Batuk had 22 points in the first half aione for the host country, including a scorching 5 of 6 shooting from three-point range.
The two teams will meet again in a similar tune up game in Manila on July 1, four days before the Olympic qualifier kicks off at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Gilas is coming fresh from a nine-day training camp in the mountains of Kapernisi, Greece prior to its trip in Istanbul.
The team will spend one more day in the Turkish city before departing for Bologna, Italy on Thursday to compete in a four-nation pocket tournament to be joined by the host country, Canada, and China.
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