Gilas Pilipinas pulled off a huge 17-0 finishing kick to stun the powerhouse Team Luzon, 122-111, in the second leg of the 2017 PBA All-Star Week on Friday night at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena.
Matthew Wright earned his second All-Star MVP award after scoring 15 points and seven assists for Gilas Pilipinas which trailed by 17 points in the second half.
Rookie Jonathan Grey surprisingly topped all scorers with 19 points. Mike Tolomia had 15 markers and five assists, while Carl Bryan Cruz nailed 13 points.
Japeth Aguilar finished with 18 points and 10 boards to pace Team Luzon which had come into the game as a heavy favorite, boasting PBA stars such as Calvin Abueva (16 points), Stanley Pringle (15), Alex Cabagnot (12) and Marcio Lassiter (12), among others.
Team Luzon had looked to pull away after establishing an 81-64 lead thanks to a strong start to the third quarter.
Gilas managed to trim it to just three, 94-91, early in the fourth quarter after two straight triples by Norbert Torres. But Team Luzon regained control as Cabagnot sank eight straight points.
Gilas however didn’t back down and mounted a huge run in the last four minutes. Triples by Cruz and Kevin Ferrer finally gave them the lead, 113-111, with 2:50 left.
Team Luzon failed to have a counterattack as Cruz and Troy Rosario knocked down dagger baskets that took the fight out of the star-studded team.
The All-Star showcase will head to Cebu on Sunday for the final leg of its festivities.
