The Philippine national men’s basketball team capped off its 2017 William Jones Cup campaign with a 90-82 victory over Iran on Sunday at Taipei Peace International Basketball Hall.
Gilas Pilipinas ended the tournament with a 6-3 card to finish at fourth place—just outside the podium occupied by the teams that beat the Philippines: Canada, Lithuania and South Korea.
Mike Myers scored 21 points and 11 rebounds to pace Gilas Pilipinas. Matthew Wright added 20 points, while Christian Standhardinger finished with 13 points.
Gilas Pilipinas got off to an 8-0 start against Iran which sent a young squad to the tournament.
The Iranians quickly recovered, going on a 14-3 run to take the lead from the Philippines.
But Gilas Pilipinas asserted themselves and grabbed a 26-22 lead after RR Pogoy sank a triple at the first quarter buzzer.
Gilas Pilipinas then pulled away and repeated held off the Iranians, even leading by 15 points at one point in the fourth quarter.
The game had a surprise attendee as NBA superstar Kyrie Irving appeared in the venue’s VIP section during the fourth quarter. He is currently in the headlines as he reportedly asked for a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, the only team he has played for so far in his six-year career.
