Gilas Pilipinas center June Mar Fajardo drew praise from no less than Angolan bruiser Bruno Fernando.
The brawny National Basketball Association star was impressed with how Fajardo held his ground against the taller, heftier Angolans despite Gilas yielding a 70-80 decision that put the Filipinos in a very dangerous position.
Fajardo, although only scoring four points and grabbing seven rebounds, had a long night defending the basket, fighting for the ball, and banging bodies for Gilas.
“Number 15, Fajardo, a lot of credit, somebody that we all gotta respect. He has a lot of game to him,” the Atlanta Hawks forward said of the six-time Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player for San Miguel Beer.
Fernando, who rattled the rim with a couple of powerful jams, also expressed admiration for the rest of Gilas’ frontcourt for putting up a good match.
Just like Fajardo, AJ Edu and 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto did their part although Gilas fell short of avenging their loss to the same African nation in overtime, 79-81, in the 2019 World Cup in China.
“Like what I said, a well-coached team. A lot of talent, a lot of guys that can really play basketball. They made it tough for us, we were able to come out there and fight against them,” Fernando said.
“Obviously, Jordan (Clarkson) is the head of the snake. Like I said, credit to them, the team, and the coach. Very well-coached team. Great win for us,” he added.
Angola had to crawl its way out of an 11-point deficit in the second quarter,17-28, and withstand an 11-0 fightback by Gilas late in the fourth quarter that cut the visiting team’s lead to just five with 1:12 left.
The Angolans were saved by Gerson Domingo’s dagger three with 47 seconds left from a monumental meltdown to preserve not only their chances of making it to the second round but also for a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It means a lot to us. It was a great win and we needed it. Like what I kept saying, credit to the team. Very well-coached. But also, credit to us. We came out here trying to fight. We know that there’s gonna be a lot of things against them playing at home: the refs, the crowd, being able to fight them on the court. It was a great win,” Fernando said.
