Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas inflicted a crushing defeat on the Chinese Taipei national basketball team for the second time in two weeks, 90-77, Sunday night to win the first MVP Cup with a 3-0 sweep. The Filipinos also defeated the Taiwanese in this year's Jones Cup right in their own home court, 77-69, on Aug. 30. Gilas got off to a hot start and led by as many as 20 points before stopping a furious Taiwanese onslaught in the fourth quarter. Naturalized Filipino and former NBA star Andray Blatche looked in better shape and showed flashes of his brilliance as he led Gilas with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Calvin Abueva anchored the victory with 11 points, six of them scored in the final period that halted the streaking Taiwanese squad that managed to chop a 20-point deficit to just nine in the homestretch. Veteran center Asi Taulava also played strongly for Gilas, posting 13 points and six rebounds in just nine minutes on the court. After leading all scorers in Gilas' last two games, hotshot Terrence Romeo settled for 12 points. The Philippines, rated third in the FIBA Asia power ranking, and Chinese Taipei, rated fourth in the same ranking, could meet again in the FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China, later this month. Gilas were ahead, 81-61, midway in the fourth quarter when Chinese Taipei's long-range bombs started hitting their target, including three consecutive three-pointers that cut the Gilas lead to just 83-75. But Ranidel De Ocampo doused the Taiwanese rally with a booming triple, followed by an Abueva tip-in to restore Gilas' 13-point lead with 2:33 left en route to another rousing win. In the first game, the Wellington Saints asserted their might in the paint to wallop the Talk N Text Tropang Texters, 101-78, to win runner-up honors in the MVP Cup behind Gilas Pilipinas. The Saints won despite resting their big guns, Bryan Davis, Ray Turner and playing coach Kevin Braswell. The New Zealand team finished the tournament with a 2-1 win-loss card. Talk N Text ended with a 1-2 slate to settle for third place. The Texters took a four-point lead, 52-48, in the third period after trailing for most parts of the game. The Saints, however, responded with a 24-8 run to take a commanding 72-60 lead entering the homestretch. Josh Bloxham led the Kiwis with 20 points, eight boards, and eight assists, while Mitchell Newton added 19 points and three boards. Bloxham poured 10 of his points in the third quarter when the Saints started to pull away. Newton then took over the scoring chores in the fourth quarter, banging in 14 markers in that period. Top draft pick Moala Tautuaa once again led the Texters with 26 points while Larry Fonacier added 13.
