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Chot Reyes and Gilas Pilipinas in China. –SBP PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas emerged triumphant in its first game in the 2023 Heyuan WUS International Basketball Tournament Thursday night, but national coach Chot Reyes was not exactly thrilled with the outcome.

“I’m very disappointed with how we finished the ball game,” Reyes said on the heels of a 76-65 victory over old regional tormentor Iran.

“It was a bad start and a very bad finish for us. I think we only played a good second and third quarter,” he added in a video dispatch released by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Friday afternoon.

The Philippine team was tentative in the opening period and was able to keep the enemy within striking range thanks to the early efforts of Jamie Malonzo, Roger Pogoy, and cornerstone Dwight Ramos.

Gilas Pilipinas warming up ahead of their game against Iran in Heyuan, China.

📷 Carlo Pamintuan#FIBAWC #WinForAll #WinForPilipinas pic.twitter.com/8wvO8wqvUL

— SBP (@officialSBPinc) August 3, 2023

But it was Rhenz Abando and AJ Edu who came through in the middle two quarters, helping the Nationals ease out front.

Abando impressed during the training squad’s camp across the Baltics a few weeks ago; while Edu, who virtually sat out those games in Estonia and Lithuania due to conditioning woes, is making a strong case for himself as a frontline pick. The latter was big for Gilas during a blowout of the near-complete Magnolia Hotshots in a closed-door friendly a week ago.

“We played well in the middle part of the game, but we need to start games better and finish games better,” said Reyes, who is hoping that his charges do just that when it plays a Senegal squad brimming with confidence.

The West Africans are coming off a victory of their own over Iran and are looking to annex another win at the expense of Reyes and a Gilas squad also priming for the World Cup set here, in Japan and Indonesia on Aug. 25.

The victory, wobbly start aside, should bode well for the Gilas training squad which played without a naturalized player. Jordan Clarkson, the Utah Jazz star who is set to fill that specialized slot during the World Cup, has yet to report to the team.

Gilas takes on Senegal 8:00 p.m. at Jiangman En Ping Sport Gymnasium with the game set to be broadcast through television and live streaming.

The Philippines will take on the same two teams before it heads back home to Manila where it is scheduled to play Montenegro and Mexico in the days leading up to the global showcase that will also serve as a pathway to the Paris Olympic Games next year.

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