GILAS Pilipinas bowed to hot-shooting LSU-Batai, 86-89, on Sunday night, its first loss in three tuneup matches in its training camp at the Svyturo Arena in Klaipeda, Lithuania.
The Lithuanians peppered the Filipinos with 15 three-point bombs, with 6-7 sharp-shooter Vidmantas Sragauskis hitting five triples. Arunas Sakalauskas finished the game with four three-pointers.
“Got our first loss today to this great shooting team. We will face similar teams in fiba-Asia,” said Gilas Pilipinas assistant coach Josh Reyes on his Twitter account @josh_reyes.
Gilas coach Chot Reyes said various factors are kicking in for the team after nine gruelling practices and three tuneup games in just one week.
“Talo, 89-86. Just like that week 1 is done. 9 practices, 3 games. Now d tediousness, homesickness & fatigue are kicking in. How do we react?” tweeted Reyes on his account @coachot.
The national squad won its first two tuneup games, posting an 81-76 victory over Klaipedos Neptunas before whipping Birstono Jazz-Diremta, 74-63.
Gilas Pilipinas faces Lithuania's Under-20 national team, the defending Fiba Euro U-20 champions, on Tuesday evening before getting another shot at LSU-Baltai in the last of its six-game schedule in the training camp.
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