GILAS Pilipinas wanted to deliver an absolute show in front of its home fans.
The blowout came, just a little delayed.
Finding its groove midway through the third quarter, the Philippines did enough to repulse India, 88-64, for its first win in the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers on Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Dwight Ramos hardly looked like he missed a beat in his Gilas return with his 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal against a fighting but outclased India side that lost to New Zealand by 55 points the day before.
Darling of the crowd
Ramos' fellow Japan B.Leaguer Thirdy Ravena, undeniably the darling of the crowd, also did his share, hitting three treys in the second quarter to finish with 15 points and two assists.
Roger Pogoy hardly showed any effects of his calf injury and put up 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals, while Robert Bolick poured in 10 points and three boards to assure coach Chot Reyes' successful return to the international stage.
But it was newcomer Kib Montalbo who surprised fans in his Gilas debut, dropping eight points and three rebounds to key a 22-8 third quarter pullaway capped off by a buzzer-beating three from the logo to make it a commanding 21-point edge, 68-47.
It's not how you start, but how you finish as Gilas definitely put smiles on people's faces who came to the Big Dome to witness the national team's first game before home fans in over two years.
The last was the gold medal-winning victory at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
This also marked the triumphant return for Kelly Williams, who donned the national tri-colors for the first time since the 2011 Fiba Asia Championship in Wuhan.
India showed better fight compared to its 101-46 mauling at the hands of New Zealand a day prior, capitalizing on its size edge to narrowly outscore the Philippines, 46-40 in the paint. But it simply ran out of gas in the endgame as the visitors stared at a 26-point deficit, 88-62, late in the game.
Sahaij Pratap Singh Sekhon once again paced India with 14 points, while Prashant Singh Rawat got 13 for the visitors.
The Scores:
PHILIPPINES 88 - Ramos 17, Ravena 15, Pogoy 12, Bolick 10, Montalbo 8, Kouame 6, Navarro 6, Erram 5, Williams 4, Gomez de Liano 3, Rosario 2, Rangel 0.
INDIA 64 - Sekhon 14, Rawat 13, Bhriguvanshi 9, Muthu Krishnan 7, Hafeez 6, A. Singh 6, Prince 5, P. Singh 4, Kumar 0, Manjunatha 0.
Quarters: 18-13, 44-32, 68-47, 88-64.
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