MANILA, Philippines – Will Gilas Pilipinas get back on the winning track?
After a difficult opening day upset loss against unranked Palestine, the Philippine national men's basketball team will attempt to bounce back strong when they clash with the 69th ranked Hong Kong on Thursday, September 24 in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China.
Andray Blatche will look to continue his good showing after being out of shape since joining the team for FIBA Asia preparations. Also expected to make a mark are Gilas rookies Calvin Abueva and Terrence Romeo, who were both relatively quiet against Palestine as well as Jayson Castro, or Jayson William in international play.
(READ: Gilas Pilipinas has back against the FIBA Asia wall)
The Philippines, which is eyeing nothing less than the gold and the accompanying 2016 Summer Olympics berth, no longer has room for error through the second round if they want to retain control of their fate in the Asian cage wars.
Gilas is in Group B – considered a light group – together with Palestine, Hong Kong and Kuwait.
Catch blow by blow updates through Rappler's live blog starting at 9:30 am.
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– Rappler.com