A humiliating defeat greeted Powerade Team Pilipinas, the Philippine national basketball team, on Saturday at the start of the 31st William Jones Cup at the Hsinchuang Gymnasium in Taipei as Jordan shredded the Filipinos' defense en route to an emphatic 90-59 win. The Filipinos were in contention only in the first quarter when they trailed 15-17. But things took a turn for the worse for the Filipinos in the second quarter when 6-4 point guard Rasheim Wright came off the bench for Jordan. Wright was the same player who led his team to victory against the Philippines during the 24th FIBA Asia Olympic qualifier in Tokushima, Japan two years ago. With Wright as their court general, the Jordanians unleashed a blistering 20-0 run as they made mincemeat of the Filipinos' defense, burying the Philippines with an avalanche of three-pointers. The Filipinos couldn't buy a basket for nearly seven minutes as Jordan pulled away, 37-15. Jared Dillinger finally ended the scoring drought for the Filipinos with a free throw. The Jordanians coasted along the way in the second half, leading by as many as 34 points, 79-45, halfway in the fourth quarter. The Philippines played minus Ginebra's Jayjay Helterbrand and Cyrus Baguio, and San Miguel Beer's Mick Pennisi – three players who flew to Taipei the day after their Game 7 shsowdown in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Cup Finals. However, head coach Yeng Guiao did not include them in the lineup yet obviously because they were still too tired to play. The three players are expected to be included in the 12-man roster when the Philippines tangles with host Taiwan on Sunday. Guiao rued the team's humiliating loss, hinting of major changes when the team returns home after the Taiwan tourney. “We have to learn how to beat this team (Jordan) if we hope to make the Turkey tournament (World Championship),” he said. Jordan head coach Mario Palma tried to console Guiao and the rest of the Philippine team after the game. “This is just the first game,” he said during the post-game interview together with Guiao inside the press room. “I don't think this was a normal result,” he added. In other opening-day matches, Lebanon demolished Taiwan-B, 93-61, with the veteran Fadih El-Khatib topscoring with 32 points, while South Korea nipped Kazakhstan, 75-73, despite getting outrebounded, 42-32. South Korea is bracketed with the Philippines, Japan and Sri Lanka in Group A in the FIBA Asia tournament. __
