ELIZABETH Means proved to be a major boost for Gilas Pilipinas Women in only his first game in the 5-on-5 discipline at the 20th Asian Games.
Means had 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting - three from three-point distance - while chipping in four rebounds and eight steals in the 86-58 win over Kazakhstan last Thursday, giving the BT Toews-coached national squad an excellent start to the tournament.
READ Means fires 23 points in Gilas Women win vs Kazakhstan
“Means has been a big boost for the team last game,” said Gilas Women program director Bacon Austria. “One good thing about Beth is she really wanted to play and she came in and accepted the role.”
“She fits perfectly in the system that BT wants and she also gives her all when she plays,” Austria said.
The naturalized player has picked up the slack in the absence of Gilas Women mainstays Jack Animam, Vanessa De Jesus, and Kacey Dela Rosa.
Austria said Animam and De Jesus are dealing with injuries as they have shifted their focus on their club teams, Animam in Poland and De Jesus in Korea.
Dela Rosa, meanwhile, is entered in the women’s 3x3 team, and couldn’t play in the 5-on-5 game due to a conflict in schedule.
“With key players from the past tournament skipping the Asian Games, we are just grateful that Beth is there to give us that height and actually give us a different look on offense. Her stats last game shows how big she was for this team,” Austria said.
Gilas returns to action on Sunday when it takes on Hong Kong at the Aichi International Arena. Game time is at 10 a.m. local time (9 a.m. Manila time). A second straight win could give Gilas Women a spot in the quarterfinals ahead of Tuesday’s match against powerhouse Japan.
Like in the victory against Kazakhstan, defense will continue to be a focal point of Gilas Women.
“Good start for our team and just great to see that we played how BT wants the team to play. The defense that was instilled was executed properly. The offense was produced by the defensive pressure we applied. Thus, we had a lot of easy baskets on transition,” said Austria.
“You have to give credit to the players for being unselfish and trusting the system and just giving their all when their number is called. This set of players have been together for just a week and shows that they really set their egos aside for one goal,” Austria added.
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