Standhardinger still standing tall, tough for Gilas
Do-it-all forward Jayson Balabag sparkled with 20 points while fellow big men Jerome Napao and Ted Saga each scored 14 for the Lancers, who used a devastating 32-9 attack in the second quarter to cripple the Wildcats for good.
While victory was already at the palm of their hands with a 54-20 lead entering the locker room, the Lancers spared no mercy against the Wildcats, pounding their halpless foes in the final half, 59-33, to complete the 60-point cakewalk.
Two others cashed in double figures as all of UV's 13 players hit the scoring chart.
Guards Sheldon Gahi and Colleen Testa connived for 23 points for the Lancers, who stormed to their straight victory after suffering a shock 73-78 loss to the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors in their season-opening assignment last August 6.
Mariel Munez finished with 13 points and Steven Bucao had 13 for the Wildcats who further wallowed down the cellar without a win in five starts.
Meanwhile, the Warriors will try to stretch their unbeaten run to five games when they take on the Southwestern UniversityPhinma (SWU) Cobras today at 6:45 pm.
The Warriors currently enjoy the solo lead in the collegiate division with a clean 4-0 slate while the Cobras are seeking for their second victory in four games.
In the 5:15 p.m. opener, the USC Baby Warriors hope to improve their 2-1 win-loss record when they go up against the CIT-U Wildkittens, who stayed listless in four games.
KUALA LUMPUR — Playing basketball day in, day out for almost two months now, Christian Standhardinger is still full of energy — as he’s trying to be.
He’s without rest from the start of their training for the Jones Cup last month.
“Well, obviously I feel tired but as an athlete you learn how to play through that tiredness. So I feel good as I need to feel to play the game and be hopefully efficient,” said the FilGerman forward/center.
Flying here Saturday from a long trip from Beirut to Manila to Kuala Lumpur, Standhardinger bucked fatigue and helped Team Philippines to a hard-earned 81-74 decision over Thailand Sunday.
“It feels a little rusty and a little tired. But that’s okay. There’s no excuse,” said Standhardinger, ruing his woeful 7-of-14 foul shooting.
“I should have made my free throws, more free throws. It’s so important. That’s one thing I’m not satisfied with,” he added. “But everything else, I knew I gave my best. I’m very happy that it was enough to pull a victory.”
Standhardinger playing with great energy from a long trip was an inspiration to his teammates.
“How can you not admire Christian?” said Gilas skipper Kiefer Ravena.
“I pity him when he’s missing his free throws. It’s no longer his normal shots. He’s a man, not a machine. He’s getting tired,” Ravena added.
Standhardinger had no problem adjusting in playing with two different groups of players in three days.
He actually enjoyed it. “It was fun playing with those guys,” he said.
“We had one practice and I picked it off. It’s a little bit also the same plays. Some plays are the same. So I think I did a good job there. I knew where to go,” he added. “But there were mistakes I made. I will watch the video and hopefully I’ll be better the next games.”—